


Saltcoats, Scotland

by cafffine



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: 1850's Scotland, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Victorian Era, Crime AU, Fett brothers are undercover, Gun Violence, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nobleman!Obi-wan, Period-Typical Homophobia, criminal!Cody, criminal!Rex, diamond heist, explicit sexual content in later chapters, non-human characters are still non-human but there are no fantasy aspects, tags will update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:14:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 56,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28930095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafffine/pseuds/cafffine
Summary: It’s 1855, and Cody is a retired con man until he’s offered 8 million pounds - split between his brother Rex - to steal a pair of diamonds from the mysterious Obi-Wan Kenobi, Earl of Khyber.Now undercover as noblemen on the sprawling Organa estate in Scotland, he and his brother have two months to pull off the heist or their lives may be at stake. It’s only two diamonds, and Cody’s the best criminal of his generation, it should be an easy job.-And yet, as he soon discovers, there's something about their target - Lord Kenobi - that absolutely nothing could have prepared him for.-¡Victorian era crime AU!sfw version
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 301
Kudos: 312





	1. In the Rough

**Author's Note:**

> -You can read this fic with a mature rating if you don't want to deal with any of the sexually explicit scenes here: [Saltcoats, Scotland - NON-EXPLICIT VERSION](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212677/chapters/71727498) it is exactly the same, just sfw :)
> 
> -I tried to be as historically accurate as I could, but if there are any history buffs in the audience, I'm sorry, I'm probably going to make some mistakes, I would love to hear your input though 💗
> 
> -Historical accuracy aside, the alien characters are still aliens (aka Ahsoka is still a Togruta etc.) because, idk, that's fun right?
> 
> ok I'll shut up! this is gonna be a fun one I hope!

“Got a visitor here for you, Cody.”

He grit his teeth; his nose wasn’t broken, but it’d be swollen for at least a week, that much was certain, “Not taking visitors.”

“Says he knows you.”

He winced as the wrapping came off his knuckles, he’d bled through them again.

“Cody.”

“I just got my head beat in,” he called back, “cut me a break, yeah?”

No reply came, and Cody slumped down onto a bench. His shoulder felt weak again, and he could still hear the crowd down the hall through his ringing ears. The sound of their drunken cheers was comfortably muffled until a door opened unannounced, letting in the chaos and a pair of footsteps.

He groaned and tipped his head back; he needed a pint, not some gutter rat asking him for money.

“Am I interrupting?”

It was a voice he’d know anywhere, and his blood ran cold as he jolted to his feet.

“My, look at you,” Palpatine’s smile was slick as oil as he removed his hat and glanced around the dingy changing room, “this is what you left us for?”

Cody kept his chin high, “What are you doing here?”

“Can I have a moment?”

“You can turn around and go back where you came from,” he nodded to the door, “you have nothing to say to me.”

“Cody,” Palpatine’s eyes widened, mocking him, “I’m still your friend.”

“You’re still a piece of shit.”

Palpatine tucked his hat under his arm and stepped closer, his cane tapped once on the grimy floor, “I do what I have to, and besides, which one of us gets paid to lose boxing matches?”

“I’m not hurting anyone,” Cody countered, “unlike some people.”

“You’re hurting yourself; doesn’t that count?”

He raised a finger as anger pooled heavy in his gut, “You’re the last person who gets to criticize the way I pay my rent, the last fucking person in this city.”

Palpatine chuckled, “Good to see there’s still some fight in you.”

Cody turned and grabbed his shirt off the bench, he needed to leave before he started throwing punches. He’d lose another hundred fights in another hundred shitty clubs before he fell back in with Palpatine, he’d gotten out, he was doing better now.

The cold sting of a silver-tipped cane came out and snapped across his bare chest, stopping him in his tracks.

Palpatine didn’t look at him as he spoke, he addressed the empty room, “I have a job for you.”

“Don’t insult me.”

“It’s in Scotland. You’ll need to be ready in two weeks.”

He laughed, part shock, part outrage, “Have you lost your mind?”

“You’ll have to bring a wardrobe as well; you need to look like a nobleman,” Palpatine carried on calmly, “although I don’t think that will be a problem for you, that was always your specialty.”

“I don’t do jobs anymore, I told you that two years ago, and I’m telling you now, I’m done.”

“You’ll do this one.”

He brought a hand up and knocked the cane off his chest, rounding on Palpatine with everything he had, “You could offer me a seat on the goddamn throne and I’d still walk out that door, you’ve got plenty of other people who’ll do your dirty work, leave me out of it.”

The silver of Palpatine’s cane flashed as it collided with the side of Cody’s head, it was faster than he could react to and hard enough to knock him back a step. He shouted in pain and threw a hand up to his ear, blinking as he checked his fingers for blood.

“Four million pounds,” Palpatine’s cane clicked as it came to rest back on the floor, “that’s your offer.”

Cody collapsed back down onto the bench with a hand pressed to the tender spot on his head, “I don’t want your money, I want to be left alone.”

“Don’t be ungrateful, you’re only the second person I’ve spoken to about this.”

He huffed, “The other asshole turned you down too? Couldn’t beat em into it?”

“Not at all,” Palpatine’s smile returned, sweet enough to rot teeth, “he’s onboard if you are.”

“Well I’m not, so apologies to the both of you.”

“Let’s stop with the posturing,” Palpatine raised a hand, silencing his objections, “my dear, you’re living in a flat with five other men and letting drunks beat you into the dirt for pocket change, you’re not in a position to ignore four million.”

Cody balled his shirt up and pressed it to his still ringing ear. His thoughts were on the drink he was going to buy himself when he finally escaped this conversation, not anything that slithered out of Palpatine’s mouth.

“Your brother is ill, isn’t he? The little one? A month or two working a job you’ve done a thousand times, and he’d never have to worry about a hospital bill again.”

“What? Is this blackmail?”

Palpatine laughed, amused, “Just a bit of motivation.” 

“Yeah, let’s call it that.” He eyed the cane as he rose back up to his feet, he’d heard enough, “Threaten me all you want, I’m retired.”

“Criminals don’t retire,” Palpatine scoffed, “Rex certainly hasn’t.”

Cody’s split knuckles burned as he stretched them tight into a fist, “He doesn’t work for you.”

“Oh, my friend,” Palpatine’s cane clicked over to him and he opened his overcoat to retrieve an envelope that he pressed to Cody’s chest, “everybody works for me when I’m offering money like this.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Two months at most, four million if you’re successful, travel and board are taken care of,” his finger tapped the papers, “it means Rex is ready when you are.”

The air went out of him, and he caught the envelope as Palpatine stepped away. He kept his eyes on the floor, there was always a catch with Sheev, he’d been bracing for it, but it still hurt, “You got my fucking brother involved in this?”

“Don’t curse, you don’t even know what it is yet,” Palpatine sunk his hat back on and gave his shoulder a condescending pat, “give those papers a read and be at the tailor’s on Exeter by eleven tomorrow, Rex will meet you there, I’ll stop by if I can.”

Cody stared at the envelope, he had half a mind to burn it, “I’m retired.”

“You _were_ retired,” Palpatine stopped in the doorway to tip his hat, “and I must say, it’s a pleasure to have you back Mr. Fett, we’re going to be very rich men.”

◊◊

Cody flipped his collar and kept his head down as a police wagon rattled by. He wasn’t sure if there was still a warrant out for him in particular, but between Rex, Fives, and Boil, there was almost always a wanted poster with his face on it somewhere in London.

He pushed on towards the river with an empty stomach and did his best to blend in with the crowd. It was a Saturday, and the banks were alive with people from just about every walk of life. Noblemen with spotless leather shoes brushed past with their chins held high, children shouted to his left as a carriage interrupted their game of dice, and a young Mirialan girl with a violin played for pennies on the bridge.

On a normal day, he would have stopped to look out over the water, or listen to the girl perform, but he had no humor in him that morning. Palpatine’s envelope was burning a hole through his breast pocket.

The cool breeze from the water chased him up Waterloo as marble buildings crowded up around him, and cobblestones gradually became even, a clear omen of the wealth in the area. He didn’t venture into the heart of the city much anymore, and while he did feel a bit shabby and out of place, it was still a sight to behold.

He rounded the corner to Exeter at full speed and almost missed the shock of blond hair leaned up against a light post in his hurry.

“Hey! C.C.!”

He stopped dead in his tracks and almost collided with a group of finely dressed ladies as he spun around, “Rex?”

A hand shot out and pulled him from the flow of foot traffic and onto the curb, “There you are, I knew you’d show!”

“I-God,” Cody leaned back, speechless as he took in Rex’s appearance, “look at you.” It had only been a few months since they’d seen each other last, but things had changed. Rex’s hair was longer, enough that it was starting to curl at the back of his neck, around his ears, and he was dressed like the type of person Cody used to rob blind.

Rex spread his arms, grinning as he showed off a black frock that hung open over a starched white shirt and a tailored vest. His collar was turned up and held in place by a blue silk tie that was matched only by the gold pocket watch strung across his waist, “Not bad, right?”

“Where…” Cody trailed off, his suspicion piqued, “Who paid for this?”

Rex’s face fell and he dropped his arms, “I did, I’ve been working.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I did!” Rex crossed his arms and then leaned in, his brows drawn, “Jesus H, Cody, you’re in bad shape, you still boxing for that club in Walworth?”

He frowned and turned away, “For now.”

“How long you been sayin that?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he squinted over Rex’s shoulder and down the block, “is there somewhere we can talk? A pub or something?”

“Oh, come on,” Rex laughed, “we can have a drink after.”

“After what?”

“The-” Rex’s smile faltered, “The tailor? He’s waiting for you, we’re gonna have a hard time convincing anyone that you’re the son of a Baron dressed like that.”

Cody’s heart sank, this was the reaction he’d been fearing.

Rex took one look at his face and deflated, “Ah no, don’t give me that,” he wagged a finger, “you came all the way here, no second thoughts.”

“I just came to talk to you.”

“And you can talk to me after.”

He did have his guilts about not seeing Rex as often as he used to, but he couldn’t say he missed the stubbornness, “You can’t give me five minutes?”

“I can give you all day once you-”

“What made you think I’d be okay with this? You honestly thought I’d take a job from Palpatine and-”

“I don’t want to hear it! I don’t,” Rex ignored the startled looks he was receiving from the passing crowd and stepped right up into Cody’s face, “this is it; do you get that? This is what we’ve all been waiting for, and you’re not gonna ruin it for yourself.”

Fighting with his brothers — especially Rex — was the natural order of things. It was no surprise that even after months apart it had only taken seconds to arrive back at square one, “Oh _this_ is ruining it for myself, right, cause nothing about being a con man was ruined when I spent three goddamn years in a prison cell.”

Rex rolled his eyes, unfazed, “You can’t bring that up every time you want my sympathy, it’s getting old.”

“I’m not asking for sympathy, I’m asking you to think straight for once,” he flicked the ironed lapel of Rex’s coat which earned him a fiery glare, “stick to what you're good at, rob a few banks, I don’t care, but don’t work with Palpatine, I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

“I’m not an idiot,” Rex spit, “I’m fully fucking aware that he’s the scum of the earth but, Cody,” he pressed his palms together in prayer, “if we pull this off, I’d never have to stick my hand in someone else’s pocket for the rest of my life, isn’t that what you want? For us to get out of it?”

“Not like this.” 

“Not like-!” Rex groaned and pulled a hand across his face, “Eight million pounds between us, that’s enough to leave London, that’s enough-”

“Rex,” he put his hand out and hovered over his brother’s heart, “you don’t know him like I do, and that’s not an insult, it should stay that way.” He took a breath and dropped his voice back down, trying to dispel some of the rising tension, “I read through the papers he gave me, alright? And if he had come to me five years ago with a payout like that, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it-”

“So you agree that-”

“But I learned my lesson the hard way, and I’m not gonna stand by while the same thing happens to you.”

Rex’s face grew dark and he grabbed Cody’s hand, pressing it tightly to his chest. He was a few inches taller than usual in his new leather boots and his posture had adjusted well to the height. He looked good, he wore luxury like a natural, the only evidence left of his true upbringing was the thin white scar on his forehead, “I know you miss it.”

Cody flexed his jaw, curled his fingers into the thick fabric of Rex’s vest.

“And I know how good you are, how good you _still_ are-”

“Enough-”

Rex thumped a hand over Cody’s, fixing both their palms over his beating heart, “Everything he’s said checks out, I had Fox look into it.”

“That doesn’t mean anything-”

“Just stop, will you? You’re not fooling anyone.” Rex took an aggressive step forward, putting their faces inches apart, “I get that prison scared you, but you have been an absolute _mess_ ever since you started flying straight, and it’s killing you.”

Cody tried to pull his hand away, but Rex’s grip was iron tight, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Now,” Rex continued evenly, “this is a very long walk from Walworth, so let’s not pretend that you came _all_ this way just to rescue poor old Rex, you’re here cause you're dying to get your hands dirty again, and you need me to talk you into it.”

Cody’s arm dropped back down to his side as deadweight when Rex let him go.

They waited in silence, sizing each other up as a carriage clattered by, and it was Rex who spoke first when the air grew still again, “So here’s the pitch, C.C.,” he lowered his voice to a near whisper, “you get your head out of your ass and come to Scotland with me like the rotten criminal you are, and then we fuck this rich bastard over just like he deserves, that what you wanna hear?”

One of Cody’s eyes was partially swollen shut, and the bridge of his nose ached with every breath he took. He was hungry, and he knew that despite the solid beatings he’d taken for the past three days, he’d have to fight again that night if he had any hope of paying for dinner. Rex was right, it was killing him, “It’s too dangerous.”

A slow smile began creeping back onto Rex’s face, “Damn right it is.”

“He’s Royalty.”

“He’s an Earl, that doesn’t count.”

Cody glared at him, “We could hang for this.”

“Let ‘em try,” Rex laughed, “our pockets will be so heavy by then, we’ll snap the rope.”

◊◊

The late Queen Amidala, only hours before her untimely death, had gifted ‘The Skywalkers’ — a pair of diamonds titled for their unmatched beauty — to a man named Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Earl of Khyber.

Other than his name and his status as a thirty-six-year-old bachelor, there was very little knowledge about the Earl himself. This lapse in information was primarily due to the fact that he had hardly set a foot outside his property in Kilbirnie, or been seen by any other living person for the past five years. 

Rumor had it that his strange behavior was due to an unhealthy obsession with his diamonds, a paralyzing fear that if he didn’t have eyes on them at all times they’d disappear into thin air. It seemed a miserable way of life, but considering that the Skywalkers were valued at roughly ten million pounds each, it could almost be excused. 

Cody held his arms out like a scarecrow and did his best to ignore the smug look on Rex’s face while the tailor took his measurements. He’d agreed to a new coat, nothing more.

“He sounds like a real idiot,” Rex drawled, lounging back in an armchair and playing idly with the chain on his pocket watch, “who takes diamonds with them on holiday?” 

Cody shrugged, which earned him an annoyed frown from the tailor, “Wants to keep an eye on them I guess, can’t say I agree with the method, but-”

“No no, don’t make excuses for him; he’s an idiot and you’re gonna play him like a fiddle, those rocks are as good as gone already.”

“Please sir,” the tailor took him by the shoulders and spun him away from Rex, “hold still, I’ll only be a minute.”

Cody muttered an apology and retreated into his thoughts while Rex rambled on. He had a point; the Earl may have gone mad.

According to Palpatine’s many informants, Lord Kenobi would be attending a derby on the Organa estate — his first, and likely only excursion that decade. He’d be away from his property for two months, and for reasons Cody could guess at, the diamonds would be going with him for ‘safe-keeping.’ It was absurd, it was that kind of mistake only rich men with university degrees made.

“What do you think he’s been doing in pits-of-hell-Kilbirnie all this time, you think he just sits around and stares at ‘em?”

“I don’t know,” Cody sighed, “I don’t care.”

Rex clicked his tongue, “Can’t lie to me, Codes, I can hear your brain chuggin away, you want this.”

“I don’t-” he raked a hand through his hair as the tailor dropped down to measure his legs, “I don’t like it.”

“But you want it.”

Two little diamonds, two whole months, and one dimwitted Earl standing in the way of enough money to buy Cody a house of his own?

He shrugged his fraying jacket back on as the tailor bowed out of the room, “It’s too clean, we’re missing something.”

“No, I told you,” Rex sprang up from his chair and pulled a folded letter from his pocket, “Fox has friends in high places now, nothing to do with Palpatine.” He stuffed the paper into Cody’s hands and tapped the second paragraph, “Said he mentioned Kenobi’s name once and they were all on about how crazy the poor bastard is, some even say he doesn’t leave his bedroom.”

“Until now?” Cody asked gruffly, skimming over Fox’s thin handwriting with an eyebrow raised, “We’re just supposed to believe that this – this ‘Kenobi’ is coming out of hiding _right now_ for a fucking derby in Saltcoats with twenty million in his pocket? Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You want me to take Boil?”

Cody scoffed, “Boil’s good, but-”

“But he’s not you.”

“I’ve changed.”

“Well, maybe you’re a little out of practice.”

“Hey!” Cody raised a hand and Rex’s shiny gold pocket watch dangled in the air between them, sparkling as it caught the light, “No I’m not.”

◊◊

It cost him a humiliating apology for the watch theft, but Rex bought him dinner and sent him back to Walworth with a full stomach.

He kept his pace relaxed, trying to enjoy the warmer weather that May was pushing in and flipping a knife in his hands to ward off any thugs who didn’t already know who he was. He wasn’t ready to admit anything to Rex, but the job did have him thinking, it had kept him up the night before and he had a feeling that evening would be no different.

If he took it and failed, Palpatine would kill him, and every Fett in London for wasting his time, and if he was caught in the act it was either back to prison or up to the gallows. It was a risk he’d taken before, and he could still remember the exact weight of iron cuffs, the stench of his cell in Wembley. 

Four million pounds.

He’d never have to work again.

His heart jumped into his throat and he turned up Kennington, then Walnut. 

Four million pounds.

He stopped in front of a door he hadn’t ventured near for almost a year. 

The street was empty, lit only by a pair of faintly glowing streetlamps and moonlight being cut through by the twisting branches of a tree overhead. He knocked twice before he could change his mind.

“It’s um,” he cleared his throat, he didn’t have anything planned, “it’s Cody.”

A minute of silence was followed by the muffled thud of footsteps coming down a set of stairs, and then an answer, “I don’t know a Cody.”

He sighed, “Fine, it’s Charles.”

“Which one?”

He screwed his eyes shut in silent frustration, the last time someone had made him say his real name was ten months ago on that very same doorstep, “Charles Christopher.”

Cody stepped back and Jango Fett filled the doorway with crossed arms and a stony expression. There was a fireplace lit in the room behind him and his shadow reached out, swallowing Cody up in darkness, “You getting locked up again? Here to say goodbye?”

“No.”

Jango looked him up and down and nodded, unimpressed, “To what do we owe the pleasure then?”

“Sorry, I-” Cody bowed his head; his father had every right to be angry, still hurt though, “I just wanted to check up on Boba.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s in bed, it’s the middle of the night.”

Cody stuffed his hands into his pockets as deep as they would go, “I’m not asking to see him, just want to know if he’s doing better.”

“He’s not.”

Guilt weighed him down and he wondered if his feet were growing roots, if he’d ever be able to walk away again, “How-”

“Don’t ask me how bad it is, son,” Jango leaned against the doorframe and let the light of the fireplace flicker out into the street, “it’s late, you should go home and get some rest.”

“I might be able to help, not right now, but-but soon, I could help.”

“Charles-”

“I mean it, I-” his voice faltered, he looked his father in the eyes, “I’ve been offered a lot of money, a lot, enough for a good doctor and anything else he could possibly need, I could…Dad…” he trailed off, he wasn’t being listened to.

“Sober up, take care of yourself,” Jango stepped back into the house and rested a hand on the doorknob, “let your brothers and I worry about Boba.”

◊◊

They were each paid two thousand pounds upfront once Cody formally agreed to the job. They left half of it in their father’s mailbox with a letter that only Rex signed.

The rest went to a hotel room that was impossibly clean and came with a wide-open window that Cody woke up early every morning to sit in front of. The sun would start behind the courthouse across the street where Fives had once been sentenced to death, and then crack up over the roof, blinding him. 

That was usually enough to wake Rex, who would complain that he should close the curtains before staggering across the room to call a maid up for their breakfast.

Their days were spent in and out of town and they passed long hours whispering to each other in pubs about the details of their trip. They’d be going undercover as noblemen to fit in with the wealthy guests at the derby, and it was paramount that their cover be flawless.

Kenobi was arriving a week before the event started, and with a few forged letters from the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Ulster, and whatever else Palpatine had cooked up, it just so happened that two representatives of the armed services would be visiting around the same time.

Cody was to play a decorated soldier, a retired Commander of the guard that spent his days on a plot of land in New Zealand where his family was from. It was an easy excuse for his accent and various scars, and ‘veteran’ was not a title that many people felt comfortable challenging the validity of.

Rex would do the same, but he’d be of a lower rank, and still in the service. They would be brothers — not that their looks gave them much of a choice — and they’d be introduced as the sons of a wealthy Baron in northern Wales. 

Scams were never Rex’s forte, so he’d hang back, scour the Organa’s property for locked doors and safes, things he could crack open with his eyes closed. Cody would keep the Earl busy, get him talking, pick his pockets if he could. They were aiming for simplicity, a clean heist, no footprints left behind. 

◊◊

“I’m gonna be sick.”

Cody cracked an eye open and lifted his head off the window, “Again?”

Rex nodded, “Yes, again.”

“Fuck,” he rubbed his eyes as he sat up and prepared to stick his head out the window. Rex had been fine on the train, but that had only gotten them as far as Carlisle, and the carriage they were in now was proving to be an unexpected obstacle.

He cursed as a bug flew into his eye and the scent of horses and pollen hit him in full, “Driver!” he shouted, “Hey! Driver! You need to stop again, my brother’s going to be sick.”

“I can’t take much more of this,” Rex moaned as he threw himself out the door, “I think I’m dying.” 

Cody folded his coat up into a makeshift pillow and yawned. It was mid-June, and the air was warm and stuffy, perfect for a nap, “You better not have gotten anything on your shirt,” he mumbled as Rex crawled back in, “we’re gonna be there soon.”

“I’m doing great,” Rex croaked, “thanks for asking.”

“You’re welcome.”

Cody’s nights were spent lying awake with thoughts of iron bars and nooses closing around his neck, so it was in his best interest to give his eyes a rest before the circus started. He knew Rex was nervous, but they’d gone over the scenario for their arrival about as many times as he could handle, and it was out of his hands now.

“God it’s hot,” Rex sighed, “you think it’ll be this hot the whole time?”

“I’m sleeping.”

“And these outfits, Christ, why’d we have to be military? Can’t we just tell them we’re princes from overseas or something? They wouldn’t check.”

Cody reached up and brought the window shade crashing down to silence him, “It’s gonna be fine, I’ll do all the talking.”

“I’m not getting sick cause I’m nervous,” Rex hissed, “I’m getting sick cause this fucking carriage is a thousand degrees and-”

“Shut up,” Cody pleaded, “just-God, their house is only a couple miles off the coast, it won’t be that hot, you’ll survive.”

Rex grumbled to himself and kicked his feet up onto Cody’s bench, “Whatever, hopefully we’ve got ‘em by the end of the week, then we won’t even have to bother with the derby.”

Cody didn’t answer in the hopes that Rex would take a hint and leave him alone, but he had his suspicions that they would need longer than a week to find the diamonds. Rex would have no problem breaking into the Earl’s bedroom or any luggage containers he had, and Cody could get him drinking and search his clothes, but that was only a starting point. In all likelihood there’d be some top-secret hidden vault he was making use of — a hassle for everyone involved — and Cody didn’t even want to think about the possibility of decoys.

Two months was a solid window, but there were plenty of places to hide a pair of rocks in Saltcoats.

◊◊

“Shit,” Rex kicked him as his back went straight, “shit that’s the town,” he tapped the window, “that’s it, we’re close.”

It was a rude awakening, and there was still sleep in Cody’s eyes as he squinted out towards the uneven outline of cottages and churches rolling by to their right. He’d never been to Scotland, and he’d only been down to the coast once in Brighton when he was very young, “It’s uh,” he yawned, “cute, I guess? What do people call it? Quaint?”

“Boring?” Rex offered. 

“Hey, we’ll be busy,” Cody reached into his bag and tossed him a roll of bread, “and eat something, get your blood pumping, I don’t want them to know you were getting sick.”

Rex eyed the roll like a hand-grenade, “Why?”

“Cause you’re a Captain now, and brave soldiers don’t go green in the face from a bumpy carriage ride.” He waited until Rex was doing as he was told, and then got to work fixing himself up. 

They’d been provided with a full wardrobe of the finest wool, silk, and cotton that money could buy, but it was the traditional Commander’s uniform that he’d decided to make his entrance in.

It was a bold look that featured two columns of polished silver buttons running down the front of a black military jacket. He had orange epaulettes with shimmering fringe on either shoulder, and his chest was decorated with an assortment of stolen medals. The orange reappeared as halos at the end of his sleeves and in the satin lining on his coattails, a detail Rex had suggested.

“Come here,” Cody leaned across the chassis and untangled the fringe on Rex’s shoulders, “you’re gonna do great, thank the hosts, don’t get drunk, and don’t bow to the servants.”

“I know, I know,” Rex griped, he was dressed similarly, but his accents were blue, and he wasn’t weighed down with the quiet same number of medals, “Captain of the 501st, I remember.”

Neatly trimmed bushes appeared out either window and the carriage rocked as they turned up a gravel path, “Stay away from Kenobi, but if he approaches you, be friendly, talk about horses or something.”

“I get it, lay off.”

Cody popped a mint into his mouth and leaned back, still uneasy. Rex was a fantastic burglar, but his social skills left much to be desired, “And don’t steal anything of the Organas, we’re here for the diamonds, and that’s all we’re leaving with.”

“Heard you the first ten times.”

They fell silent as a manicured rose garden loomed to their right, followed immediately by an immense marble statue of a dramatically posed woman, her hand outstretched for something it appeared she’d never reach.

Cody looked away and willed his heartbeat back down to a steady pace, these were very rich people they’d be dealing with, rich and powerful. 

He closed his eyes as the carriage rocked, it felt like only a few hours ago that he’d been bleeding onto a beer-soaked floor in Walworth, his only worries being where he’d find the coins for dinner that night. 

Rex was watching him with wide eyes when he looked up, he’d only been seventeen when Cody went to prison, that should have been enough to scare him out of a mess like this.

“Alright,” Cody pulled him forward and pressed their foreheads together, Rex’s fear was grounding, that he could focus on, that he could fix, “once more unto the breach, yeah?”

Rex nodded; the carriage stopped.

“How much?”

“Twenty million,” Rex laughed, low and nervous. 

Cody sat back and smiled for the first time in what must have been decades, “Twenty fuckin million.”

“Hello!” A man’s voice rang out sharply over the whinnies of the horses. 

Cody dropped his smile; he squared his shoulders, he was a Commander now.

“Hello I-no I was going to get the door for them, no-” the door to the carriage was thrown open by a thin man who was clearly in the middle of an argument, “do you even know what room they’re staying in? Really, I highly doubt that you-oh!” He turned, startled, “I’m sorry, how was the trip, Gentlemen?”

Rex was already clamming up, so Cody stepped down onto the grass and smoothed the front of his jacket down, “Can’t complain, beautiful scenery.”

The man was wearing a pair of wire-rimmed glasses that magnified his eyes to double their size, without his eager smile it might have been terrifying, “Yes, how wonderful, Scotland is just breathtaking this time of year isn’t it? You know, it’s a good thing you’re not visiting in the winter months, the moors tend to get very grey and-oh dear,” he shook himself as Rex hopped down to join them, “I’m getting ahead of myself; we should get you inside, you must be starving.”

Rex looked for a moment like he was going to bow, sending a wave of panic crashing through Cody’s nervous system, but then he recovered, and smiled politely, “That sounds lovely, Mr. ah-?”

The man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Ah, my apologies, Sir! You can call me Mr. Threepio!” He threw an arm out behind him and doubled over in a bow, “I’ve been assisting the good Lord and Lady Organa for nearly fifteen years now, and I look forward to making your stay as comfortable as possible.”

His glasses slid down his nose as he stood back up and he hastily shoved them back in place, still talking a mile a minute, “I’ll be showing you to your rooms in just a moment, and if you have any questions about your stay or the estate in general please don’t hesitate to ask, I’ll have been here for fifteen years come August and I know every corner like the back of my hand.”

The barrage of enthusiasm was enough to knock even the most bitter of personalities back a step, and all Cody could get in was a weak, “Thank you, I’ll…keep that in mind, Mr. Threepio.”

Threepio nodded and then whipped around, his tone shifting immediately to one of complete scorn, “Artoo, I’m trusting you with their luggage, but you’d better not get the two mixed up, we’ve got a full evening planned and I don’t have time to fix any of your messes.”

Cody swayed to the side and caught a glimpse of a short, mustachioed man sporting a massive gleaming monocle over his left eye. He was scowling at Threepio and signing viciously with his hands.

“That there’s…well,” Threepio’s face had gone ashen as he turned his attention back to Rex and Cody, “that’s Artoo, he’ll bring your bags up for you, but if there’s any problem, please,” he glanced over his shoulder where Artoo was still fuming, “come to me first.”

It had been a long five years since Cody had last been exposed to the upper class, he’d almost forgotten how insane they all were.

After a few more curt words with Artoo, and another unnecessary bow, Threepio clapped his hands together and began leading them — at last — away from the carriage and towards the house. He walked with an awkward shuffle and kept his arms bent, leaving his hands hovering nervously in the air, “If you’ll just follow me, we’re headed to the south wing, it’s a bit of a journey, but you’ll get a fantastic view of the grounds as we head in.”

“We don’t mind,” Cody assured, falling into step behind him, “it’ll be nice to stretch our legs a bit.”

Rex jogged up beside him and nodded wordlessly to the massive stone archway they were stepping into the shadow of. Cody responded with a subtle quirk of an eyebrow and fixed his posture, a reminder for Rex to do the same. 

“Here it is!” Threepio gestured ahead as the tunnel ended and sunlight came streaming back over them, “House Alderaan, completed in 1824. You must have seen the rose garden on your way in, but there’s two more in the back, as well as a ballroom, three dining halls, a library-”

Cody wasn’t listening anymore; all he could do was stare. 

The building before them could hardly be labeled a house, it was better described as a castle, or something out of a fairy tale. Great pointed turrets rose proudly out of blocks of limestone, decorative red brickwork framed gaping polished windows, and there must have been at least thirty chimneys all poking out of various slate rooftops. Its skyline rose and fell at varying heights ranging from a single story all the way up to four as it sprawled across the countryside, and that was only what was visible from the front.

It almost felt wrong to see such an imposing display of architectural prowess in person, up until that moment Cody had only expected to see such marvels in paintings or storybooks.

He took a sharp breath in and reached out to close Rex’s mouth which had been hanging open in shock. They could fawn over their surroundings once they were alone, now was not the time to act like starstruck sewer rats from London, “It’s beautiful,” he called up to Threepio, “your staff does a fine job with the upkeep.”

“You’re very kind, Sir.” Threepio stooped to unlock a set of iron-laden mahogany doors, “I know the front’s incredibly shabby at the moment, but we’ll have everything ready by the following week, have to look our best for the derby.”

Rex shot him a look that seemed to ask, ‘ _Did he just say ‘shabby’?_ ’

Cody replied with a sideways glance of his own, ‘ _I think he did_.’

The doors swung open with a well-oiled groan, and Threepio stepped to the side with a gloved hand held aloft, “After you, Gentleman, welcome to Alderaan.”

Rex’s jaw fell open again, but that time there was nothing Cody could do about it.

It was difficult to make sense of what they were seeing, on one hand, it was a beautiful entrance hall complete with a grand staircase and a ceiling that rose three stories like the inside of a chapel. But on the other, it was a complete warzone.

There were maids and butlers and gardeners and all sorts of panicked people running in circles and shouting orders to each other, creating a wall of rising sound. Some dashed up the stairs and some went streaking down the hall, tripping on table corners and edges of fringed Turkish carpets. As far as Cody could tell, the source of all the chaos was a couple thousand pink roses, all bunched into glass vases and perched on every surface the eye could see.

The sensory overload from the sound of panic, the glow of pink petals in the sun, and the heady scent of an entire army of roses was enough to knock a weaker man unconscious.

“As you can see,” Threepio said casually, “our delivery of roses came a day early, and we weren’t entirely prepared. If you’ll just turn down the hall to your right, we’ll be taking a different set of stairs for today.”

Rex sneezed, and Cody forced a bewildered smile onto his face, “Lead the way.”

When Palpatine first informed them that they’d be staying with the Organas, Cody had been doubtful. He couldn’t see why a wealthy family like them would be so eager to board a pair of complete strangers, soldiers or not. And yet as he walked through the sunny halls of the rose-scented mansion it began to make sense. The place was a labyrinth; they’d never see each other.

After ascending to the second floor, they began a winding trek that had them passing intricately carved oak doors, ten-foot-wide paintings in gold frames, a music room with two grand pianos, and a never-ending parade of windows that looked out onto rolling hills and sunny skies.

“And here we are!” Threepio slowed to a stop as they turned up their tenth corridor, “Commander Fett, you’ll be over here on the right, and Captain you’ll be just across the hall.”

“Thank you-”

“I’ll send a maid by every other day to change the linens, so you needn’t worry about that, but there’s a bell by the door that you can ring for assistance at any hour of the day or night.”

“That sounds-”

“Would you like to take a look at your rooms first, or shall we go straight down to the garden for a meal?”

“You know what?” Cody blurted out, “I’d love to see the garden, but that walk just reminded me how tired I am, and I think it should wait until I’m recovered to get the full experience, what do you think, Captain?”

“Yeah er-yes, I think I’m tired too,” Rex stuttered.

Threepio’s eyes grew impossibly wider, “Oh, completely understandable! Your rooms are ready for you so please make yourselves at home. Dinner is at six, but if you’re not feeling up to it, we’d be happy to have something brought up to you, just give us a ring.”

Having learned from his previous mistakes, Cody waited a moment to make sure Threepio was done before answering him, “I think I’ll take you up on that offer, though I’ll be sure to call someone up when I’ve made up my mind.”

“Of course, Sir, and do you have any other questions at the moment?”

The hallway grew quiet, and he could feel Rex’s eyes on him, “Now that you mention it, might be a few things.”

Threepio leaned in.

“You see,” Cody began, “we’ve never met the Organas, do you think they’ll be available anytime this week, be nice to thank them in person.” 

“They’re quite busy with track preparations, so you likely won’t see them around the house much, but they have mentioned that they’d hoped the two of you could join them for dinner this Saturday, only if you’d like.” 

“We’d be honored.”

“How lovely,” Threepio dipped his head, “I’ll let them know.”

Cody smiled, he didn’t actually care about meeting their hosts, he’d only asked to set up the question that mattered, “Right, and before I head off-”

“Yes?”

He kept his back straight, and his tone light, “Are there any other guests that we should be aware of? Anyone we might run into?”

“Why yes, I’m so happy you asked!” Threepio rocked back on his heels in delight, “There will be a whole crowd of people arriving next week — very exciting — but for now it’s just you two and the Earl of Khyber.”

Rex stiffened, and the knot in Cody’s chest loosened in relief.

Then Threepio raised a finger, and corrected himself, “Well, the Earl and his nephew.” 

◊◊

Cody fell backward and landed on the bed with his arms out and his legs dangling off the edge. His room was enormous, and the view from the window was to die for, but the wind was out of his sails, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I’m awake,” he said to the ceiling, “you can come in.”

The door opened immediately, and the blue of Rex’s uniform appeared out of the corner of his eye, “What the fuck?”

“Keep your voice down.”

“A fucking nephew?” Rex hissed, “He’s got a kid with him?”

Cody wished he’d sink right through the mattress, “Apparently.”

“Well why are we finding out the day of? What the hell are we supposed to do with that?”

“I don’t know, we’ll handle it,” he brought a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose, he’d been hoping they’d make it at least a few hours before things started to go wrong.

Rex stomped over and joined him on the bed in a huff, “And what’s with that butler? Or the couple million roses in the front room? Or the-where the hell are we, Cody?”

“Calm down, we knew they were rich, we knew what we were getting ourselves into.”

“Did we?”

“Yes,” he swatted Rex’s arm, “and we’re sticking to the plan.”

“Ah, yeah, ‘the plan,’” Rex groaned, “the plan where you follow around a lunatic while I do laps around this-this _palace_. God, those little pebbles could be anywhere.”

Cody kicked his legs out and sat up in one swift motion, throwing his hand out and catching the embroidered collar of Rex’s uniform in his grasp, “Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? Because I seem to remember telling you _to your face_ that Palpatine was making this sound easier than it was.”

Rex puffed a lip out, trying to look innocent.

" _I_ knew this would be a challenge, _I_ knew the house would be big, it’s not my fault that you didn’t believe me.”

“Well I did but-”

“No,” he shook his head; Rex was a bad liar, “up until about thirty minutes ago you were still convinced that I was a paranoid maniac and we’d be out of here in a week, weren’t you?”

“Get off me,” Rex squirmed away and set his face in a pout, “I didn’t think you were a maniac.”

“But you thought it’d be easy,” Cody growled, “and it’s not, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and now the Earl has a nephew, that’s tough luck, but we’re professionals.”

“I know, Christ, I was just complaining.”

He glowered at Rex a moment longer, and then flopped back down into the bed to let his anger cool. He couldn’t blame his brother for being overwhelmed, but if he started getting hopeless after weeks of prancing around like they’d inherited the throne, he had another thing coming for him.

“So?” Rex asked, his frustration already forgotten, “What’s the play for tonight?”

“Let’s just take it easy,” they were both worn out from two days of travel, they’d get nothing done without a proper night of sleep, “we’ll eat in our rooms and regroup for breakfast, then we can finish our tour of the grounds.”

“Think we’ll get a look at Kenobi?”

“Maybe, but don’t ask the butler anymore about him, we don’t want to seem eager.”

“I don’t know,” Rex chuckled, “the way that man was talking, he’d probably hand the damn rocks right over if we asked.”

◊◊

Cody had always found time to enjoy himself on jobs, he’d often ended up in beautiful townhouses full of delicious food, or smoky clubs where string quartets played to him alone, but he had a feeling this one would be different. There was too much at stake to be stopping and smelling flowers, especially with Rex involved.

He took his dinner in his room and changed into a more comfortable shirt to sleep in as the evening wound to a close. His window was facing out to the south and the sky was pink, casting just enough light that he could make out a group of stables and painted cottages for the groundskeepers. He watched the fields until the sun faded and didn’t bother to light any candles as he crawled into bed.

The sheets were soft, his pillow was stuffed with down, exhaustion won out over stress, and he was asleep within seconds.

He dreamt in bits and pieces of London, the sound of musket fire, the Earl of Khyber. In his mind, the Earl was a terror, a pale ghost of a man who never ventured to the outside world and lived in a pitch-black cave with only his diamonds to keep him company.

In Cody’s dream he was wailing, yellowed teeth bared and ragged hair awry, someone had stolen his jewels and he was going to tear them apart with his talons, he was going to eat them alive. He stumbled through the never-ending hallways of Alderaan house on emaciated legs, his tattered clothes dragging behind and his howls growing shrill. He was furious and his red eyes flared like torches on a prison wall.

He was crawling down the hall, he was saying Cody’s name, Charles Christopher Fett, Jango’s oldest son, criminal, convict, thief, thief, thief.

Sunlight stung his eyes and there was sweat on his brow. His fingers were knotted in silk sheets; his jaw was clenched tight.

He took a shaky breath, he was in Saltcoats, Rex was safe in his room, he was a free man. He untensed his shoulders and lay back while his heartbeat slowed.

When the clock struck seven, he dragged himself into the washroom to clean up as best he could. He’d slept a full night despite his uneasy dreams, and the shadows under his eyes had faded which was a blessing because it was the first real day of work, and he needed to look his best. There would be no hiding in bedrooms for dinner again anytime soon.

He dressed himself in pressed white trousers and a black tailcoat. His necktie was orange to match the medal he kept pinned to his chest, and his collar rose high, a reminder to keep his chin up, and his posture unwavering.

He was combing his hair into place when Rex came bursting into his room, wide awake and dressed to kill, “Slept like a baby! Those mattresses are something else don’t you think?”

“You could knock next time.”

“You still getting ready? I’m hungry.”

“I’ll be ready when I’m ready,” Cody glanced at him in the mirror, “and your tie is crooked.”

“No it’s not,” Rex said, as he fixed it.

He called a maid up when he was satisfied with his appearance, and she arrived in less than a minute, announcing herself with a soft knock at the door.

She was a pink-faced Twi’lek girl who greeted them with a nervous smile, “Good morning Commander Fett, and Good morning Captain Fett,” she bowed her head twice, “would you like me to show you to the garden? Breakfast is being served outside today.”

The repetitive names were going to get confusing, Cody thought, he’d have to do something about that, “Good morning to yourself, and yes, thank you, that would be much appreciated.”

“Of course, Sir, right this way,” she walked with her hands folded at her waist and kept awkwardly checking over her shoulder to make sure they were following. Her silence was a welcome deviation from Threepio’s monologuing, though the yelp she let out as he tripped on the stairs came out of nowhere and Cody nearly jumped right out of his skin. 

“Oh!” Rex lunged past him and caught her by arm, “I got you-er-sorry-” he let her go and retreated behind Cody, “sorry, you looked like you were going to fall.”

“Thank you, Captain,” her lekku twitched, her cheeks went a deep red, “that was very kind of you.”

She kept her face down in embarrassment for the rest of the walk, and yet still managed to stare up at Rex up through her eyelashes as they filed through the door and out into the fresh air. Cody thought he was going to be sick.

“Why was she looking at me like that?” Rex whispered, glancing over his shoulder in panic, “you think she’s suspects something?”

“No, you idiot,” Cody answered dryly, “she thinks you’re handsome.”

“What?” Rex crowed, “yeah right, like you’d know anything about…oh,” he stopped, and put a hand on Cody’s arm, “are you seeing this?” 

The front of the house had been impressive, if not a bit intimidating, but there had been no pomp, no showmanship, nothing like the menagerie laid out for them now. It was a garden — in that there were flowers — but it was also a city of stone statues posed like dancers and lovers. It was a pond with a spouting fountain and emerald lily pads, a twisting maze of bushy hedges, a gravel walkway for a group of whispering ladies, and their rainbow parasols.

“Good morning, Gentlemen!” Threepio waved to them from a table laid out with steaming teacups and enough food to feed an army, “I hope you don’t mind that we’re having breakfast in the back, the weather was just too good to pass up.”

“We don’t-er,” Cody didn’t have the mental capacity to give Threepio his full attention, the garden was enough of a distraction on its own, but there was also a rhythmic clash of metal coming from somewhere over the balcony they were on.

“We don’t mind, it’s amazing, actually,” Rex filled in, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Yes, it’s quite a sight, isn’t it? The Organa’s pride and joy!”

Cody knew Rex and Threepio were talking, but he couldn’t listen to them even if he tried. The only sound was now the sharp metallic clanging that drew him out of the shade and past his empty seat at the table.

The ornamented railing of the balcony settled beneath his hands, and when he looked down at last, there were a pair of fencers, dressed all in white and gleaming in the morning sun.

They drove each other back and forth across a chalked-out strip of grass, with each man only holding an advantage for milliseconds at a time. Their dance consisted of a violent series of lunges, parries, and lighting fast attacks that turned their blades into nothing more than silver streaks of light.

One man was struck in the kidney, and then the other in the thigh, they fought on, and Cody watched with bated breath. He’d been in plenty of boxing matches so he understood the intensity, the desperation, but there was something very different about this. Their faces were covered, their hits left no marks, and though they came close, they never touched, it almost looked lonely.

The taller man’s blade bent nearly in half as it drove into his opponent’s chest, causing the Togrutan girl watching from under an umbrella to throw her hands up and cheer. There was a little boy on her lap that she bounced excitedly as he clapped his hands together.

The fencers bowed, and the losing party carried the other’s sabre off with a nod.

“That was a long one!” the girl called out, “old man like you, didn’t think you’d make it!”

The victor waved a tired hand her way and stretched his arms up as he ambled over to the pitcher of water waiting for him on a stool. He rolled his shoulders once and then tugged at his collar with gloved hands. It took a bit of maneuvering, but eventually his helmet and mask came off together, and he threw his head back as it came free.

He was breathing heavily and shining with sweat, something that was surely being made worse by his neatly trimmed beard. As soon as he tossed his helmet to the side he reached back and pulled loose the clasp on the back of his bodysuit which then fell forward, exposing his neck and the dips in his collar bone.

There was a flush crawling up from his chest that had reached all the way to his cheekbones and the tip of his ears. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he drank a glass of water, his hair was brown but golden in the sun, sweat dripped down the chords of his neck, he finished his drink and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, his lips were red.

He noticed Cody’s shadow first, a solitary silhouette projected at his feet, and then he looked up, he smiled, the garden fell away, “Hello there.”

Cody raised a hand.

The man waved back, he pushed his bangs up and shielded his eyes from the sun, “Were you watching the match?”

Cody nodded.

The man smiled again, wider, the lines around his eyes crinkled, “How’d I look?”

“Beautiful,” Cody called down, “I mean,” he gripped the railing, “your form, that is.”

The man dropped his hand, and the sun shone fully on his upturned face, “Thank you,” he said, before turning away, “you’re a very good liar.”

Cody stood where he was as the man walked off, too shocked to be offended. He had an unexplainable urge to vault himself over the edge of the balcony.

Threepio appeared at his side, straining his neck to meet Cody’s outward gaze, “Enjoying the view, Sir?”

“Who was that?” Cody asked, his voice suddenly hoarse, “That man, who is he?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

He shook his head, not daring to turn away.

Threepio chuckled, “Why, Commander, that’s the Earl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ: I am a white author and my depiction of a Māori man in imperialist military attire was insensitive, especially given the [New Zealand Wars](https://teara.govt.nz/en/history/page-4) going on in this time period. 
> 
> You can read more about the situation/my full apology [Here](https://cafffine.tumblr.com/post/642551253464989696/please-dont-feel-theres-a-need-to-respond-to).
> 
> Please message me on tumblr @cafffine if you have something to add, my ask box/anon is always open, thanks! (The uniform is not shown again, though this issue was not brought to my attention until ch3, so some medals are still mentioned in chapter 2-3.)
> 
> congrats you made it through 9k of rushed exposition!!! and I love you for it!!
> 
> If anything was confusing (why is Cody's name Charles? how many brothers does he have? what the fuck just happened?) please feel free to ask me in the comments I have answers for everything!
> 
> also uh... Cody that was so embarrassing literally the whole squad is cringing .. Juliet on the balcony type of vibes bro ...
> 
> (come say hi on tumblr @cafffine I like 2 talk in all caps about clone wars 😬)


	2. Grenades from On High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhhh my god, I have never received such positive feedback on the first chapter of a fic before and idk how to thank all of you??? 
> 
> aaahhh but for real thank you sm for your support I'm SO excited to get more of this out!! (CANNOT promise a weekly upload schedule, but I'll try not to let updates get too far away from each other) 
> 
> Also!!! thanks to @beanabouttown (tumblr handle) for beta reading!! you were so helpful and ,,, thank god you were there to correct some of my dumb american mistakes lmao

Cody allowed himself five seconds to panic, no more.

He was an athlete, he looked like a Scotsman and spoke like an Englishman, the back of his suit was hanging open, his thin undershirt was plastered against a set of muscled shoulders, Cody had called him ‘beautiful,’ he’d called Cody a liar. That was Obi-Wan Kenobi, that was the man they were going to ruin.

Cody’s five seconds were up, he turned to Threepio with a bright smile, “I’ll have to introduce myself,” he said, calm as could be. “He seems like a fine Gentleman.”

“Absolutely! I’m sure he’d like to make your acquaintance after he washes up.”

Cody shot one last look back at the Earl and the little boy he was kneeling in front of, and then headed for the table with a casual step, “I look forward to it.”

Threepio was pouring his tea before he’d even sat down and proceeded to perform an endless soliloquy on the brew’s exotic origin and the exact flavor notes. Rex pretended to listen along with Cody and picked at the pastries. He looked fully prepared to destroy a powdered doughnut until Cody cleared his throat, an unspoken warning that if he got sugar on his coat it’d be the last thing he ever did.

The morning began in earnest and nothing went awry. Cody thanked Threepio, he ate his breakfast, he drank his tea, he didn’t panic. Kenobi was just a regular man, that was fine, in fact, that was better. Regular men were easy to talk to and easy to steal from, Cody used to do it all the time.

A butler came out to call Threepio in about a disaster in the kitchen, and Cody dropped a cube of sugar into his cup once they were alone. “That was Lord Kenobi.”

Rex froze with a biscuit halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“Down on the grass.”

“Over the-?” Rex stared out over the garden. “You saw him?”

Cody took his time stirring his tea, he was perfectly fine, “Yes, he was fencing.”

“With a sabre?”

“He was very good.”

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t say that,” Cody flashed him a stern look. “Stay calm, eat your breakfast, if he comes up here, I’ll introduce you.”

Rex went pale. “He’s coming up here?”

“Maybe.”

“Christ,” Rex shoved the biscuit into his mouth. “What else? What was he like?”

“Don’t know, we didn’t really…” Cody called him beautiful. “We didn’t talk, just sort of waved, said hello.”

“That’s good, right?”

Cody took a bite of melon, he shrugged.

Rex eyed the edge of the balcony as he ate. He’d kept his coat clean, but his tie was crooked again.

The conversation played back in Cody’s mind on repeat. Why had he been so stiff? He was never stiff. There had been nothing confrontational about the Earl, nothing out of the ordinary, at least until that last moment.

“Don’t run up the stairs! You’re gonna trip!”

Cody turned along with Rex, it was a girl’s voice, American, he recognized her accent already.

There was a winding staircase to his left that led down to the garden, and the little boy with shaggy yellow hair came storming around the corner with a vengeance.

“Stop!” the girl called. “Wait for me!”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, the boy was a force of nature. He took the stairs two at a time, fists pumping at his side to keep the momentum, he was going to make it, the toe of his shoe caught, he fell flat on his face.

“Oh no,” Cody jumped up without hesitation and hurried over to him. “Hey there, don’t get up too fast.”

The boy lifted his head and began to cry.

“Okay, okay,” Cody dropped to his knees, making sure to stay back a foot or two, “you hurt your head?”

“Oh, what did I tell you?” The Togrutan girl’s shoulders sagged as she came around the corner. “God, every time.”

“I fell,” the boy sobbed.

Cody’s eyes went wide in feigned shock. “You did, and you were going so fast. You know, it’s a good thing I can’t run that fast, I would have fallen down too.”

The boy pushed himself up and rubbed a hand across his cheeks, smearing dirt and tears everywhere. “I am really fast.”

“I saw!” Cody bobbed his head in agreement, “Very impressive.”

“My apologies, Sir,” the Togruta reached their level at last and hefted the boy up to his feet. “He just got away from me.”

“No problem at all,” Cody smiled, dusting his knees off as he stood, “I just hope he’s alright.”

“Oh he’s fine — right? You didn’t break anything?”

The boy had a scraped knee, but other than that it appeared he had made it out of the live-fire unscathed. He looked at the girl, and up to Cody with teary eyes. “I’m faster than her.”

“Yep,” she sighed. “He’s fine.”

Cody swallowed down a laugh and glanced back at Rex, who was watching from the table in confusion, “Would you two like something to eat? We’ve got a whole feast all to ourselves up here.”

“That’d be great, actually, let me-one second,” she pat the boy’s head and dashed over to the edge of the railing, “Obi-Wan! I’ve got him, we’re gonna have a snack and then I’m taking him in for a change of clothes.”

Cody pretended not to listen and turned his attention back to the pair of blue eyes staring up at him. “You feeling better?”

The boy kicked his leg out wordlessly to bring Cody’s attention to the cut on his knee.

“I see, that’s a bad one,” he nodded solemnly, “think a berliner would help?”

“I don’t like jelly.”

“Ah, of course, let me try again-”

“I like chocolate.”

Cody reeled back, as though he’d just been told the most important news of his life. “So do I!”

“Okay, we’re all set,” The Togruta said breathlessly, running back over to tousle the little boy’s hair. “Did you give this nice Gentleman your name yet?”

“Luke.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I think we can do a lot better than that.”

“Luke Kenobi,” he held a tiny hand out. “I’m very fast.”

Cody stooped down and took his hand firmly. If he could get the nephew on his side, he had hopes for the Earl. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Luke Kenobi. I’m Cody Fett, I’m not very fast.”

Luke giggled. “Cause you’re old?”

“Okay!” The girl clapped her hands together, the white markings on her face going pink with embarrassment. “How about you go find a seat at the table and think about what you just said.”

Luke darted past Cody’s legs without further instruction, grinning as he hauled himself into the chair opposite a terrified Rex.

“Again, wow, I’m so sorry,” she fluffed her skirt out and attempted a curtsy. “I’m Ahsoka Tano by the way, I’m his governess so, his behavior is partially my fault.”

He wondered what she would have thought of Fives and Echo at Luke’s age. “Lady Tano, it’s an honor. I’m Commander Fett.”

“Commander, I’m-” the tips of her montrals twitched as a chair skid across the floor behind them. “Luke! Keep your butt in that seat, we are not making another mess for Threepio today.”

“I can’t reach the muffins!”

Cody whipped around. “Rex! Hand the man a muffin, can you not see he’s struggling?”

Rex flinched, and almost knocked his tea over trying to hand the child the entire tray.

Satisfied, Cody held his arm out for Ahsoka. “Shall we join them?”

She smirked. “If we must.”

She was young judging by the height of her pointed montrals, and dressed plainly in blue. The only adornments she wore were a pair of white bows on the end of either sleeve and a string of pearls hanging down the back of her lekku. It was clear she was an American from her accent, but there was something about her posture too, something a little off.

She sat herself next to Luke — who had only needed seconds to make a mess of himself — and did a fantastic job at composing herself when he slapped a chocolate-covered hand over her shoulder. “Thank you,” she muttered through her teeth. “Now we both get to change our clothes.”

Luke smiled and kicked his legs, turning on Rex as though he’d sensed his weakness. “Is Cody your Dad? You look like him but your hair is white, did your mother have white hair? My mother’s dead.”

Rex choked on his tea while Ahsoka’s face lowered into her hands, “You don’t have to answer that,” she groaned. “Just ignore him.”

Cody made a mental note of Luke’s brutal honesty before reaching over to slap Rex’s back as he coughed. “He’s my little brother actually, do you have any siblings?”

“No, why do you have a big cut on your face?”

“And we’re done!” Ahsoka’s eyes widened and she stood up, taking Luke’s sticky hand in hers. “Thank you two lovely Gentlemen for the food, I hope when we run into each other again we remember to bring our manners, right Luke?”

“Can I race you to the bathroom?”

“You can dream about it,” she stumbled around the table as Luke dragged her towards the house. “And sorry, I don’t think I caught your name, um-”

“Captain Rex,” they were the first words Rex had spoken for the entire conversation.

“Captain Rex,” she waved over her shoulder. “I’m Ahsoka.”

The door slammed shut and Rex slapped a hand over his forehead, “I said it wrong, shit, I’m supposed to say, ‘Captain Fett,’ aren’t I?”

“Suppose it’s fine,” Cody grumbled. “Our names were gonna get confusing anyway.”

“I was just too stressed out,” Rex slumped back, shaking his head in disbelief. “I mean the kid was one thing, but the knives?”

“The what?”

Rex nodded to the empty space across the table. “You know.”

“What the hell are you talking about, the fencers?”

“No!” Rex stared at him in bewilderment. “Could you really not see them?”

“Just tell me what the fuck you’re-”

“That girl — Ahsoka,” Rex hissed, “she had a pair of knives up her sleeves, clear as day.”

◊◊

Their official tour of the house began with a young man who apologized profusely for Threepio’s absence — there was a kitchen fire — and spoke quietly enough for Cody to nod along without really listening. He wasn’t interested in the age of a piano or the names of every dead Organa glaring down from gilded portraits, he just needed a basic layout of the floors.

The plan – until they figured out where Lord Kenobi was staying – was to search the house for locked rooms by day, and then break them open the following night. Spatial awareness was never an option during robberies, and while that aspect was supposed to be Rex’s job, Cody would no doubt be getting roped into it at some point.

They wove in and out of Ballrooms and lounges, through a library that required rolling ladders to navigate fully, and a dining table that seated fifty. The kitchen was avoided for obvious reasons, the third dining room too – it was being repainted, and sitting rooms that seemed to number in the low millions. Cody could tell Rex was counting their turns and memorizing corridors as he should be, but he was having trouble doing the same. He was still off-balance from his meeting with the Earl. He didn’t like being called a liar, no one was supposed to know that.

Rex gave his sleeve a pull, sending him stumbling back into the moment. “Sorry, what was that?”

“He asked if we wanted to see the stables, they’re on this side of the house.”

“The, uh-”

Rex’s gaze turned worried. “You in there, Cody? The stables, horses, racing-”

“Yeah,” Cody shook himself. “Love to, let’s go.”

He kept his eyes ahead as they followed the man down a gravel path, he didn’t want to deal with whatever annoyed look Rex was surely throwing his way. They’d been wandering around the damn house almost three hours, it was only natural that he’d spaced out a little.

“These are the newer stables over here,” their guide called back. “Lord Organa had them built earlier this year in preparation for the event, the other two are further on.”

Rex whistled low. “How many horses are there gonna be?”

“Forty is the estimate, Sir.”

“Fu-wow,” Rex muttered. “That’s uh, wow.”

The path disappeared into grass, and locusts sprang up out of their way as they neared the stables. The main building was — like most things they’d encountered so far — much bigger up close. The basic structure was similar to a barn, but its purpose was made clear by the long row of shuttered windows for its inhabitants to stick their heads out of.

Cody waved to Rex, and then flicked his eyes down pointedly to his shoes. ‘ _Don’t step in anything_.’

‘ _I fucking know_ ,’ Rex’s flat gaze replied.

“We’re only housing a couple of horses in here at the moment, so it shouldn’t smell too bad,” the man informed them, hauling open a set of painted doors. “Though we won’t be long, I’m supposed to have you back for a presentation about the town.”

Cody turned back as he reached the doorway. “Rex, you’re not the one with a hay allergy, are you? Isn’t that Echo?”

Rex brushed past with a frown. “Echo has a strawberry allergy; you’re thinking of Fox.”

“Damn, not even close.”

The upper windows were thrown open and dusty sunlight streaked through the high ceiling. There was a long path down the center that stretched from end to end with empty stalls facing each other on either side. Rex was already peering over the gate of one, and they weren’t alone.

“No, Luke, don’t pull his hair, he doesn’t like that.”

Cody stopped dead in his tracks.

About ten stalls down, there was a chestnut horse with his head poking out over the gate. In front of him was a man with his back turned and a boy in his arms. He was wearing a pair of tweed trousers and a dark brown jacket, there was only one person he could be. “Just pet his nose, yes, gentle.”

Luke shrieked with joy, “He’s sniffing me!”

“He is, does it feel funny?”

“I hate it,” Luke giggled, “he tickles.”

Rex – who had no idea who they’d just walked in on – put his hands on his hips and tipped his head back to stare at the rafters. “I bet you could fit a whole cargo ship in here.”

Cody could’ve killed him, but it was too late, Lord Kenobi had turned around.

“Sorry if we’re interrupting,” Cody walked only as far as Rex was “We’re just here to see the new stables.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not-”

“Uncle Ben, that’s-” Luke swatted his Uncle’s chest to get his attention. “That’s Cody who gave me a doughnut.”

Kenobi chuckled and rubbed the spot where Luke had hit him, “You’re not interrupting at all.”

“That’s Cody, Uncle Ben,” Luke pointed excitedly. “That’s Cody and that’s Captain Rex, but Cody isn’t Rex’s Dad even though he looks like it.”

Kenobi gently lowered Luke’s hand as he came towards them. “It’s funny we should run into each other, Gentlemen. My nephew’s been singing your praises all morning.”

Cody would not trip a second time. “That’s good to hear, how’s your knee, Mr. Luke?”

“It’s okay,” Luke squirmed out of Kenobi’s arms and ran over to him, “Ahsoka put a bandage on it.”

Cody squinted his eyes as he inspected the strip of gauze. “Very nice, I think you’ll survive this one.”

The toes of Lord Kenobi’s polished boots were coated in dust as he came to a stop behind Luke. He was only an inch taller than Cody, though his posture made it seem like more. “I wanted to thank you for aiding in his capture this morning, I hope he wasn’t too much of a terror.”

If Cody had seen him like this – hair combed back, suit tailored in around the waist, collar bones hidden under a maroon necktie – there would have been no doubt in his mind that he was meeting a man born into nobility. “He shares my love of chocolate, so, can’t complain.”

Luke jumped in before anyone could comment further on his status as a terror. “Don’t they have the same face? Uncle Ben,” he caught Kenobi’s hand and gave it a shake, “don’t they look so much like each other?”

Kenobi glanced quickly at Rex, and then back to Cody, “I don’t know, I think they look very different actually.”

No one had ever said that before.

“And I’m sorry, I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he held a hand out, his gloves were made of leather, “you must be the officers in from New Zealand.”

Cody put all his focus into making sure his handshake was sufficiently firm and professional, “Commander Cody Fett, at your service.”

“And I’m Rex.”

He let go of the Earl’s hand and turned very calmly and slowly to his idiot brother who was ruining an important introduction, “Yes, and this is Rex Fett, Captain of the 501st Light Infantry Battalion.”

“Honored to meet you, my Lord.” Rex’s voice was gruffer than usual, and he was stiff as a board while shaking Kenobi’s hand. It was a wonder he didn’t just keel right over.

“Please,” Kenobi dipped his head, smooth and well-rehearsed, “the pleasure’s mine.”

Cody had been raised in and out of alleyways and boarding houses in the worst neighborhoods London could spit out. He’d started picking pockets at six years old, and by ten he was faking injuries in front of rich women who would bend down to let him steal their purses. He’d never been to school a day in his life, he’d been a wanted man for the past twenty years, he was a bad person, he wasn’t really anyone, and an Earl was bowing to him.

“Cody, look,” Luke tapped his knee, and then took off at full speed down the row of stables.

Lord Kenobi snatched at him as he bolted past, a clean miss.

“I’m so fast, right?”

“So fast,” Cody shouted after him, “how about you run back so I can see from the front?”

Luke made it all the way to the other side of the building, tagged the door, and then spun around, beginning his lightning-fast return. His face was scrunched up in concentration, and he didn’t panic as Lord Kenobi trotted out to meet him halfway. The pair of waiting hands were dodged with practiced ease.

“Please stop him,” Lord Kenobi sighed, staring after his nephew in dismay. “Just grab him or something.”

Luke vastly underestimated Cody’s ability to wrangle overexcited children, and he didn’t know what had hit him until he was sitting on Cody’s hip, four feet off the ground.

Cody shifted his grasp so he could hold Luke with only his left arm, “Hey there.”

Luke recovered quickly from his shock and lifted a stubby finger to Cody’s scar, “Can I touch that?”

“Luke!” Kenobi went pale. “I’m so sorry, it’s only his second day here, he’s very worked up.”

Cody laughed, “It’s alright we just got here too,” he gave Luke a bounce. “And sure, you can touch it if you want, doesn’t hurt.”

Luke traced the curve of his scar with wide eyes, his touch surprisingly gentle, “Did you fall down the stairs? I have a scar on my chin cause I fell down the stairs.”

Lord Kenobi pressed a hand to his face and watched the interaction from between his fingers.

“Hm, no, I didn’t fall down the stairs, although I have fallen down a set of stairs before.”

“Oh,” Luke dropped his hand and began playing with the collar of Cody’s jacket, “what happened then?”

Cody got his scar while lying on the floor of a prison cell with his limbs held down and a man kneeling on his chest, cutting his face open. “A grenade,” he answered plainly, “I didn’t see it coming.”

Luke’s mouth fell open, and he touched the side of his face as if to check that the same hadn’t happened to him. He was so much like Fives it almost hurt.

“I think you’ve asked enough questions for now, Luke.” Lord Kenobi slid up to Cody’s side and gave him a nudge with his elbow. “That was a fine catch by the way, you’ll have to teach me that one.”

Cody chuckled as he set Luke back down, “Just like herding sheep, used to do it all the time.”

“Can Cody come to the pond?” Luke wrapped his arms around Lord Kenobi’s leg and batted his eyelashes, “Uncle Ben, can Cody and Captain Rex go to the pond? Can they come?”

“I don’t-”

“Please! Uncle Ben, can they go with us?”

“I’m sure they have better things to do,” Kenobi stuttered, looking to Cody with an awkward smile. “Although you are welcome to join us, we were on our way to the lagoon down at the bottom of the hill.”

Cody was willing to bet that if he looked up, he’d see an army of guardian angels gazing down on him, he was that lucky. “A lagoon? That sounds fun,” he shot Rex a flat smile, “what do you think.”

Rex swallowed thickly, “Uh, yeah-”

Cody raised an eyebrow, ‘ _You better say no, go back to the house, let me deal with them_.’

“Or maybe, ah, Cody you can go,” Rex folded his hands behind his back to stop from fidgeting. “Yeah, I’ll just…head back and go to that presentation about the town, I guess.” It was a lackluster performance, but it would have to do.

Cody held his arms out, “Just me then Mr. Luke, hope that’s acceptable.”

“Uh-huh, we’re gonna look for a fish,” Luke answered.

◊◊

Cody hung back a step while they headed out in order to survey the Earl’s clothing, the first step with any new target. He counted two deep pockets on the front of his trousers, one on his vest, and likely two more on the inside of his coat. The vest was the easiest to steal from, and his coat would be the hardest unless he took it off – not an unrealistic situation in such warm weather.

All his clothes were tailored to fit tight against his body which was an added obstacle, but not something Cody couldn’t work around. He didn’t think the Earl was stupid enough to actually have the diamonds on him, but it was in his best interest to check anyway, or at least swipe his wallet for inspection.

As eager as he was, Cody decided to wait. He’d raid the Earl’s pockets once he’d safely established himself as just another harmless rich idiot, no need to rush things. He was more of an actor than a thief anyway.

Predictably, Luke ran out ahead of them as soon as they were clear of the stables, blissfully ignoring Lord Kenobi’s shouted instructions to slow down. In mere seconds his blond mop of hair was bouncing away through the wildflowers and rustling weeds, free as a bird.

“I give up,” Kenobi stopped with his hands on his hips and waited for Cody to catch up. “He knows not to eat any berries, but if he sticks his arm into a pile of thorns, I honestly don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Soak his hand, go at it with a pair of tweezers,” Cody offered, “or sometimes you can just cover the whole thing with a bit of glue, you know, something sticky like sap. When you rip it off it’ll pull the thorn right out.”

“My, I wasn’t-” Lord Kenobi’s eyebrows shot up, “I wasn’t expecting an answer.”

“I’ve dealt with my fair share of splinters.”

“Does that mean you have children of your own?” Kenobi swung his arms as they resumed their walk, “Ahsoka was telling me how good you were with him, and now that I’ve seen it myself, I can only assume.”

Cody couldn’t help but laugh. “No, no children. Just a couple million little brothers.”

“Really? All boys?”

“Eight counting myself, don’t know what my father did to deserve it.”

“Good God,” Kenobi picked a daisy off the ground and rolled it between his fingers, spinning the petals back and forth, “I suppose I should find someone else to complain to, no wonder Luke doesn’t scare you.”

“Don’t worry about me, and he’s a sweet kid, how old is he?”

“Just turned five,” Kenobi tossed the daisy aside, a single lock of hair from his fringe came loose and he didn’t fix it. “I can’t believe it; last time I saw him he couldn’t even walk.”

Didn’t matter what the Earl thought he was saying, all Cody heard was that he was scared of Luke, he was nervous about his relationship with his nephew, and didn’t have much experience with children. It was a weakness; it could be exploited. “Been a long time then, has it?”

“Too long,” Kenobi’s smile was forced. “And ah, what about you, Commander? Enjoying the countryside?”

Cody tipped his face up, a flock of sparrows flitted en masse above them. “This is my first real look at it actually, still in shock I think.”

“I know the feeling; I don’t get out much anymore, so this is…”

“Beautiful.”

Kenobi was silent, and when Cody looked over he had a funny look on his face, “Was that you this morning? On the balcony?”

His easy confidence plummeted; he could feel sweat prick at the small of his back. “It was, yes.”

The Earl picked up his pace as they neared the lagoon, “I wasn’t sure at first, it was hard to see you with the sun in my eyes,” their shoulders almost touched as he passed. “But now I recognize your accent, suppose I should have known.”

Cody watched the Earl’s back for the second time that day, he wasn’t getting any better at it.

The lagoon itself was wide and glassy, the perfect size to row a canoe across and deep enough that fishing didn’t seem out of the question. Sunlight bounced freely over the water’s surface, broken up only by little islands of reeds and echoing ripples from the rocks Luke was throwing.

There was a curved oak tree that Lord Kenobi had leaned himself up against to watch over everything, and Cody ducked under the low branches to join him, unsure of where else to go.

He wanted to ask; _What was I lying about? What was I lying about? What was I_ \- “Do you live in Scotland, my Lord?”

“I do, in Kilbirnie, it’s only a few hours away by carriage.”

“Do you stay with your family?” He knew the answer, he just wanted to see if he’d get the truth.

“No, it’s ah, just me for now,” Kenobi pulled his gloves down tight, the leather stretched until it shone. “Never got around to marriage, you know how it is.”

Cody forced a laugh, “Yeah, women.”

Kenobi looked him dead in the eyes.

“Uncle Ben? Can we go swimming?” The Earl’s attention was stolen away as Luke bent down and dipped a hand into the water. “I wanna see the fishes.”

“I think we both know Miss Tano would have my neck if I let that happen.”

“Uncle Owen would let me go swimming.”

It was a good thing Cody was still watching Lord Kenobi, the face he made was strange, pained, “We can go swimming later this week,” he said, “I promise.”

It was not the answer Luke was hoping for, and his pouting ratcheted up to groaning and driving sticks into the mud.

Kenobi was starting to panic, and if he didn’t do something soon Luke was going to get very upset, and then they’d all be done for. Cody watched the spectacle from a distance. If he intervened, he could calm the boy down easily, but Kenobi didn’t need to watch someone else do his job for him, that would only damage his ego.

Luke flopped back into the dirt and slammed his little fists down.

Cody did the first thing he could think of. “Here,” he bent down and grabbed a rock off the ground. “Throw it. Into the water.”

Kenobi tore his gaze away from Luke and stared down at the rock, “I don’t think-”

“Trust me,” Cody nudged his hand forward. “Throw it.”

The Earl had a good arm, the rock ended up halfway across the lagoon, and the splash was loud enough to startle a family of ducks that squawked their displeasure.

“Wow!” Luke sprang to his feet, “That was so far! Did Cody throw that?”

He crossed his arms and leaned up against the tree, pleased with his work, “No, that was your Uncle.”

“Do it again, Uncle Ben!” Luke threw a rock of his own, “Look, I bet I could make it that far.”

Cody arched an eyebrow and nodded to the water’s edge. “Go on.”

Kenobi didn’t move, he was staring at Cody with the very beginning of a smile. The lock of hair that had come loose was still hanging over his forehead, and the light through the tree branches painted crooked shapes across his face. “Will you stay?”

“No, I know the way back, and you two don’t need me.” He pushed himself off the tree and bowed low, sinking back into formalities, “Thank you for letting me join you, my Lord, I do hope we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“As do I, Commander.”

Cody didn’t look back as he trekked up the hill, Luke’s excited screaming was all the confirmation he needed that things had sorted themselves out.

◊◊

“So useless, honestly, why did I need to know that there are two cobblers in Saltcoats? I’m not here to buy shoes, and I’m-no, and get this – that maid, the girl from earlier?”

Cody had been in Rex’s room for less than five minutes and every painful second had been spent listening to him complain about how boring his afternoon was.

“She was back!” Rex tore his jacket off and threw it onto the bed, “She kept bringing me tea and asking if I wanted sugar and cream and this and that, God, she’s onto us, I just know it.”

“Rex-”

“And then they asked me if I had an outfit for the beach, and I wasn’t thinking straight so I said no, and now I’ve got the address of this shop in town-”

“Okay I get it,” Cody cut in sharply, “I’m sorry it was boring, I don’t know what you want me to do about it.”

“' _Okay I get it'_ , fuck off.”

He stared blankly at Rex’s middle finger. “Do you want to hear about Kenobi or not?”

“Yeah,” Rex sighed and hopped onto the bed. “Shoot.”

“Okay, first off,” he sank into an armchair by the window and crossed his legs, it was always better to go over these things out loud. “This kid is the best thing we’ve got so far.”

“Really? The crazy one with an armed bodyguard?”

“Yes, hear me out, I’m guessing from his accent and clothes that Luke was raised in America, and this is his first real visit with his Uncle.” He raised a finger, Rex needed to listen, “That’s also probably why Kenobi’s leaving his house right now, didn’t want to be cooped up with a five-year-old for two months.”

“Yeah, and _that_ five-year-old.”

“Don’t be mean,” he scolded, “you like kids.”

“No I don’t.”

“Okay _tough guy_ , anyway, Kenobi has no idea what he’s doing, he’s trying too hard, just really wants the kid to like him.” Cody closed his eyes and tried to picture the panicked look on the Earl’s face, he saw loose bangs, a flushed neck, he opened his eyes, “And…yeah, right, as I was saying, I think he’s looking for some guidance.”

“From you?”

He laughed. “Obviously, Luke already likes me, all I gotta do is play family counselor for a few days and I’ll have ‘em both.”

“So what about me?” Rex asked, rolling over and propping his chin up in his hands, “When can I start screwing people over?”

“Tonight, if you want, maybe just run some tests, try to figure out what the staff does after dark.”

“Ah come on, I’m better than that,” Rex groaned, “set me loose on some locked closets, secret room behind a bookcase or something.”

Cody stared out the window where a Devaronian stable boy was leading a black mare in circles around a grassy corral. She kept slowing down and trying to bite at the boy’s horns, he didn’t like it much.

“Hey,” Rex snapped his fingers, “what’s up with you today? Focus, let’s crack one of those safes tonight.”

He took a sharp breath in, “Fine, that’s fine.”

“So you’ll come with?”

He needed his mind sharp; he rarely got enough sleep as it was. “I can’t stay up all night, but I’ll help you look for hiding places after dinner.”

“And miss all the fun?”

“Yes,” he bit. “And by the way, if you introduce yourself as: ‘ _And I’m Rex_ ’ ever again, I’ll shave you bald.”

◊◊

Threepio smelled like a bonfire and Cody pretended not to notice.

They were served their dinner in a smaller offshoot of one of the main dining halls in a room with a painting of a slain gryphon. There were still two days until their dinner with the Organas, so they were alone as the Earl was likely taking his meal with this nephew. Cody didn’t mind, the longer he could put off having to suffer through Rex’s awkwardness for an entire evening the better.

The food was good, and he only had one glass of wine, something French and expensive that Artoo almost dropped while carrying in. The alcohol felt better than he was willing to admit, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone longer than two days without getting drunk and his fingers were starting to itch for it. Drinking had never been a problem growing up, but after prison there wasn’t much else that could put him to sleep for such a cheap price. He wondered if Rex knew.

The sun began to set, candles grew brighter, shadows sprouted up the walls and from the bottoms of his feet. Rex started sending him sideways glances, asking for permission, lockpick stuffed up his sleeve.

He wondered if Rex knew.

They decided to start in the South wing where their bedrooms were, it was the most familiar area so far, and the least suspicious to be found wandering around in after dark. Rex split off for the row of warmly lit sitting rooms, and Cody found himself exiled to a windowless box with a practice piano and a crowd of music stands. He checked the floorboards for hidden springs and lifted the lid of the piano, but all he found was dust and silver tuning pins. He played a couple chords and left to hunt down something worth his while.

The silence of the empty hallways was easy to sink into, and soon he was blindly following a trail of candles, his mind kept busy with thoughts of nervous Uncles and diamonds sharp enough to cut. He couldn’t remember what Fox had been like at five, and he’d never really been in Boba’s life, but everyone else he had good memories of from that age.

Fives and Echo were the clearest, they’d been such a torment to Rex once they started walking, and then running, and then working people over like all their brothers before them. They’d been good kids though, they used to fight over which one got to ride on his back, loser had to deal with Fox.

It made him sick, but the last time he’d seen Echo was all the way back in February. It hadn’t been nice; he’d been drunk, and Echo was still different. No one had taken Fives’ disappearance quite so personally.

There were roses and fleur-de-lis carved into the door in front of him. He didn’t know how he’d arrived there, but it was standing slightly ajar, and there was a soft glow around the edges. He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember where he was, Saltcoats, Saltcoats. The door opened with a groan.

He was struck by the scent of old parchment and a sea of bookcases that towered to the ceiling, filling the walls from corner to corner. The spines of thousands of books formed dull rainbows of reds and browns, packed in tight on their shelves, ripe and ready to be picked.

It wasn’t where he’d meant to end up, but he ventured in any way, trailing his fingers over a row of leather-bound encyclopedias as he walked. Rich people always hid things in libraries, it would be a good place to check for hidden compartments.

“Hello, Commander.”

Cody’s heart jumped, and it took everything he had not to show it as he spun around, “Apologies, my Lord, I didn’t see you there,” he bowed his head, “I hope you’re having a relaxing evening.”

Lord Kenobi set down the book he’d been reading and propped his head up on an open palm, “Thank you, and you as well.”

The room was lit warmly and formed a wide circle around a group of armchairs in the center. The Earl had hidden himself deep into the cushions of one of them, making the top of his head only visible once Cody had wandered halfway across the floor, “I hope I didn’t disturb you; I won’t be long.”

“Oh, please,” Kenobi waved a hand, “stay as long as you’d like, I don’t mind the company.”

Cody tipped his chin in thanks and returned to the shelf, there were eyes on him now, meaning he only had two options and the obvious one was to leave.

“I used to come here all the time, you know, so if you’re looking for something in particular, I’d be happy to help you find it.”

The Earl’s book was still face-down on the coffee table when Cody turned back around, “Thank you for the offer,” _I should leave_ , he thought, _Rex is waiting_ , “but I was just planning on browsing, seeing what catches my interest.”

“Oh?” Kenobi raised an eyebrow. “And what are you normally interested in?”

Cody lied to people for a living, he didn’t hesitate, “Fiction, my Lord. Adventure, romance, war. That’s what you’ll find on my nightstand anyway.”

“Really?”

He nodded; he didn’t know why that would be an odd answer.

“Sorry,” Kenobi chuckled, “it’s just that every retired General I’ve ever met has given me a copy of Alexander the Great’s biography, I thought you’d be the same.”

“Well,” Cody tapped the medal on his chest, “I’m only a Commander, we’re not as dry.”

Kenobi’s teeth flashed white, “What a pleasant surprise.”

Cody directed his smile down at his shoes, Kenobi’s laugh was lighter than he’d been expecting, he was beginning to think Rex would be fine without him.

“So, Mr. Adventure, romance, war,” Kenobi was standing suddenly, and walking towards him. “Would you find it strange if I made a few recommendations?”

“Er, No, please.” What option did he have? “I’d be grateful.”

Kenobi wasn’t wearing his coat anymore, it was hung over the back of his armchair leaving him in a patterned vest and a white shirt with the top button undone. His hands were thin and pale without the gloves, and his nails were chewed back to the quick. He beckoned Cody to follow as he passed, “I’ll give you a classic, and then something newer, how does that sound?”

“How classic are we talking?”

“Ancient.”

Kenobi led them into the second room where the books looked even older and the light didn’t reach the ceiling. He pushed his sleeves up to the elbow before dragging a ladder over and shooting right up. He muttered to himself, squinting at the various titles laid out for them while Cody nervously spotted him. After a minute or so of searching his eyes lit up, and he pulled a volume loose.

“Did you find-oh!” Cody flinched as the book came flying down to him. He caught it with one hand and pressed it to his chest, not wanting to let go of the ladder in case the Earl should slip.

“It’s a play,” Kenobi explained. “A drama by Euripides, familial murder, deals with the Gods, the usual.”

He ran a thumb over the embossed title as Kenobi landed on the floor next to him, “ _Orestes_?”

“Have you read it already? Damn, I should have asked.”

“Never even heard of it.” No one had ever given Cody a book before, he decided on the spot that he’d read it through.

“It does drag at some parts, you can skim it if you want, but,” Kenobi raised a finger before running off, “I’ve got another one you can turn to if you get bored. How do you feel about ghosts?”

Cody waited by the ladder until Kenobi returned, flipping through the pages of _Orestes_ while praying away his dumbfounded smile. Only one day in and the Earl was treating him like a friend, he wasn’t even sure what he was doing right.

“Here we are,” Kenobi was winded when he returned, and his hair was falling loose again. “ _Fatal Revenge_ by Charles Maturin is the most convoluted book I’ve ever read, but you’ve got to trust me, the plot doesn’t matter, it’s about the atmosphere.” He waved his hands through the air in his excitement, “The horror of it all.”

Cody stacked the books together and tucked them under his arm. “Alright, I trust you.”

There was gray at Kenobi’s temples, it turned to silver when he passed close by a candle’s open flame, and then faded away as they returned to the main room where they’d found each other. The moon was only a thin sliver against a black sky out the window, and the library was cooler than most other rooms in the house. Cody didn’t want to leave. “Can I ask what you were reading before I came in?”

“Oh dear,” Kenobi looked away as he pulled a hand through his hair, “I wish you hadn’t asked.”

Cody felt his face grow hot, and he began to stutter out an apology before he was cut off.

“I’d love to tell you it was the new Melville novel, but I’m afraid it’s much more embarrassing than that.”

“I doubt that, Sir, I-ah,” the book Kenobi handed him was open to a page of drawings. Each one was of a couple dancing with each other while surrounded by curved arrows to show the direction of their movements. There was a bookmark in the center and the corners of the page featured hand-drawn diagrams of footprints and tiny printed text. Cody didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t sound ridiculous.

“I know.” The very tips of Kenobi’s ears were going pink, “I was hoping if I stared at it long enough, I’d somehow internalize everything.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude, my Lord, but I don’t think you can learn to dance from a book.”

Cody didn’t know what had made him say that, and there were a good three seconds of heavy silence in which he fully believed he had made the worst mistake of his life. He had insulted a man born into royalty and ruined the entire heist; he was going to be shot to death by one of Palpatine’s men when he returned to London in failure, it was over.

He glanced up from the book and caught Kenobi’s eye, they stared at each other and it was awful, it really was, but Cody started laughing. The painful kind that you can’t stop and makes your sides hurt. It only got worse when Kenobi joined him, stuffing his face into his hands and snorting as his cheeks went red.

“I’m sorry,” Cody covered his mouth, trying to hold it back. “I’m sorry it’s not funny.”

“No, it is, I’ve been staring at that page for an hour,” Kenobi groaned, “I still have no idea what I’m looking at.”

“This isn’t even in English.”

“I know!”

Maybe it was because he was tired, or stressed, or he’d just had a glass of wine, whatever the cause, it was the stupidest thing Cody had ever heard, and he was barely keeping it together. “Why are you looking at this?”

“Why do you think?”

“Well, I-” he had to stop looking at the page, the little French dancers were too funny, “you didn’t ask someone to teach you?”

“I was embarrassed!” Kenobi doubled over, “And you’re making it worse, I can’t believe this.”

“Hold on, hold on.” Cody set the three books down and wiped his eyes which had started to tear up, “It’s just a French waltz, it’s not hard.”

Kenobi crossed his arms in mock indignation, shoulders still shaking from amusement, “Oh here we go, you’re going to make a fool of me are you?”

“No, look, it’s very easy-”

“Wait, you actually know it?”

Of course Cody knew it, the easiest way to steal a woman’s necklace was by dancing with her. “Learned it in France, now look,” he held his arm out. “You start shoulder to shoulder like you’re just walking down the street together.”

Kenobi hopped over the table and stood in front of him, clumsily mirroring his pose.

“Right, so you’re standing next to her, and you’ve got your arm around her waist from the back, and she’s doing the same.”

Kenobi’s arm fit around the dainty waist of an invisible partner to his right.

Cody nodded, still recovering from his laughter. “That’s good, and when you reach out with your free hand, she holds it.” He waited till he liked what he saw, “Now when you walk forward, you stay like that, the hands together out front, and arms around each other’s waist.”

“How many steps?”

“Four, but only for this first part, watch,” Cody stepped forward, holding his imaginary partner close. “One, two, three, four, and then you turn.”

Kenobi counted his own steps, not quite on beat, but close enough. “Like that?”

“Yes, and the next step’s easier.” Cody let go of his partner and dropped his arms, “All you do is hold hands, still shoulder to shoulder, and four more steps forward.”

This time they stepped in unison, passing each other on the second step, and finishing on the fourth while Kenobi counted out loud. “One, two, three, four.”

“Perfect!”

Kenobi smiled at him, his cheeks were still red.

“This next part is harder,” Cody warned. “This is where you spin.”

“Both of us?”

“Like this,” he straightened his back and looked his partner in her unseen eyes. “You’re shoulder to shoulder again, but now you’re facing different directions.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kenobi readjusted, “That’s not too bad.”

“No, but now with your arm, you need to stop her,” Cody demonstrated. “Imagine that you saw her coming your way on the street, and she’s the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.”

“Alright, I see her.”

“Good, but you don’t want her to miss you, so you put your arm out and catch her around the waist.” He turned to make sure Kenobi was following along and frowned, he was on the wrong foot, his posture was all wrong.

“What is it?”

He huffed and dropped his arms. “Can I just-do you-?” Cody stepped over, Kenobi was facing the door, so he faced the window, he lined their shoulders up. “Pretend I’m the lady.”

Kenobi’s smile would have been easy to miss from any further away. “The beautiful one?”

“Yeah,” Cody snorted. “Aren’t I just?”

“And I should stop you?”

He nodded. “Don’t let me pass you by.”

Kenobi’s arm curled around him, soft, barely there, “Do I turn you?”

“No, you turn each other,” Cody couldn’t help but smile, this was his favorite part. “Because, see, she doesn’t want you to pass either.” He lifted his arm and draped it across Kenobi’s waist, “So now she’s headed one way, and you’re headed the other, but you’ve both reached out for each other so-”

“We spin.”

“Exactly, it’s just physics.”

“That’s it?”

Cody looked up and the Earl’s face was only inches away. His cologne was wearing off and there was the scent of whisky underneath it. He had blue eyes, his hand was resting gently on Cody’s hip, he was warm to the touch. They were very close, their form was perfect, their heights would have made them good dance partners if Cody really had been a beautiful woman.

“That’s it,” Cody stepped away. “The rest is-I mean, you should probably learn with a better partner.”

The Earl said nothing as Cody gathered his books up, didn’t even move from the spot where they’d been standing. The goodnight he gave was whispered and Cody returned it in full before racing back out into the hallway.

The long walk back to his room was dark and silent, he counted his steps the whole way, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you SOO SO much to everyone who took the time to comment on the last chapter, I tried to reply to as many as I could and there was genuinely no better motivator than all your kind words 💗
> 
> cody n Obi: 🥰😈🙄😘🌈🕺🏽🔫💎
> 
> Rex: 👁👄👁
> 
> Luke: 🏃🏼💨
> 
> (wait one last thing, if u wanna see the dance cody was teaching him here's [a link :)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7B_Qsdnn5E), they only do the first three steps)


	3. Coffins Built to Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Two things!! 
> 
> -You can now read this fic with a mature rating if you don't want to deal with any of the sexually explicit scenes here: [Saltcoats, Scotland - NON-EXPLICIT VERSION](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212677/chapters/71727393#workskin) it is exactly the same, just sfw :)
> 
> -Gun violence was added as a warning in the tags! Please be aware and stay safe!
> 
> Thank you to @beanabouttown, @kitcatkim, and @thanksveryga (tumblr handles) for beta reading!! Love all of you!

“Hey, it’s eight,” Cody gave Rex’s shoulder a push. “Wake up.”

Rex did not react. He was laying on his stomach, arms hugging his pillow and snoring softly in the morning sun. He’d fallen asleep without a shirt on and the unevenly healed scar on his side was just visible above the sheets he was tangled in. 

Cody did his best to avoid looking at it. He was the only one who’d survived that night unharmed. Didn’t sit right. “Rex, get up, we’re going to breakfast.”

“Go away.”

“Get up, now.”

“I said,” Rex threw his arm out and caught Cody in the thigh. “Go. Away.”

He stood his ground; he could handle a few punches. “You can’t sleep in this late, doesn’t look good.”

“I was up all night,” Rex croaked, rolling over and folding an arm over his eyes. “Make up an excuse for me.”

“Come on, it’s rude.”

“Rude to who? The butler?”

“Yes,” Cody reached down to steal Rex’s pillow but was slapped away. “We can’t be absent for meals just because we feel like it, especially not two days in.”

Rex was already breathing steadily, slipping back into unconsciousness.

“Fine,” he’d have to turn to blackmail then. “If you don’t get up, I’ll call a maid, and we both know it’ll be that Twi’lek girl again.”

“Don’t you-”

“I’m gonna tell her that you need help getting dressed.”

Rex removed his arm and squinted up at him with unadorned wrath, “You’re really gonna threaten me after last night?”

“What?”

“You’re the reason everything took so long,” Rex snapped. “I wasted a whole hour looking for you.”

Cody hadn’t gone to find him after his encounter in the library. He’d assumed Rex was already busy doing whatever it was burglars did and wouldn’t need an update on the Earl’s reading habits. “I was in the west wing.” It wasn’t a complete lie. “It was empty, just saw an opportunity.”

“Well maybe you could have told me before you disappeared into thin fucking air,” Rex rolled back over and pulled his sheets up to his ears. “You’re supposed to be helping me.”

“I am.”

“Go away,” he grumbled into his pillow. “Call a maid, I don’t care, I’ll tell her the same thing.”

Cody watched from the side of the bed until Rex was snoring again. Maybe it was true that he should have gone to find him, but this couldn’t become a routine, they had a reputation to uphold.

He crossed his arms and glanced around the room as he contemplated his next move. The luggage in the corner was only half unpacked, and both jackets Rex had worn were tossed over the back of the same chair. It was a defensive move, none of his brothers ever let themselves get comfortable anywhere, Cody had taught them that.

In the end, he decided to leave Rex be, just for that day, just because he felt a little sick after seeing the scar on his side.

◊◊

_It was just past midnight, the streets were full of echoed shouting, the air was full of gunpowder, his father was going to kill him._

_“Did they get you?”_

_Rex winced and lifted a hand from his ribs, in the low light the blood on his hand looked like oil, “I think it just grazed me.” He flinched as the wooden crate to his right was sent flying back, splintered by a bullet meant for them._

_Cody leaned in to inspect the wound. Rex’s shirt had been torn open, and the skin underneath was jagged and bleeding steadily. He hadn’t been hit dead on, but the damage was done. His father was going to kill him._

_“C.C.,” Rex asked, voice small. “How are we gonna get out of here?”_

_“Reinforcements haven’t arrived so we’ll cause a distraction and then make a run for it,” he grabbed Rex’s hand and pressed it back over the wound. “Down the alley over there, by Fox, you see it?”_

_Rex nodded, he looked like he was going to cry._

_Cody couldn’t look him in the eyes, he should’ve planned for this, he’d been too confident. It was supposed to be in and out, an easy two million, just a straightforward bank job._

_Across the street, Fox stood up and fired a few shots at the line of guards before ducking back down next to Waxer and Boil. They still had the money with them, they’d need help carrying it._

_“I’m gonna go over there and give some cover while they escape,” Cody put a hand on Rex’s shoulder and squeezed. “Once they’re clear, I’ll come back for you.”_

_“Don’t!” Rex shook his head violently. “You’ll be wide open.”_

_“I’ll be fine, I’ve got you,” Cody shoved his revolver in Rex’s free hand. “You remember how to fire this?”_

_“Yeah, but-”_

_“When I run out from behind here, you stand up and shoot at the guards in front,” Cody jumped up from his knees into a squat. “You ready?”_

_“Please don’t leave me here,” Rex dropped the gun and grabbed at him. “I’m scared, I’m actually scared, don’t.”_

_“You’ll be fine,” Cody shoved him off, they didn’t have time. “Those rifles the guards are firing don’t have any aim, I’ll be moving too fast for them.”_

_“I can’t do this, I can’t, please don’t-”_

_He forced the revolver back into Rex’s hand and kept his eyes down. It was bad enough that he’d gotten a sixteen-year-old into a shootout, Cody didn’t need the added guilt of watching him cry through it. “There’s three shots in there, fire all of them,” Cody reached into his pocket and dumped a handful of bullets onto the dirt at their feet. “Reload while I’m talking to Fox, and then cover me again when I come back.”_

_“Why can’t you take it?”_

_“Cause I’m not leaving you unarmed.” He waved a hand at Fox and the twins, “I think Waxer has a gun on him, I’ll take it before he leaves.” He waved again, trying to signal that he was going over._

_The air shook from repeated rifle-fire and Rex cocked his gun with shaking hands._

_One of the three, Cody wasn’t sure which, must have misunderstood his waving and stood up._

_“No!” Cody shouted. “I’ll come to you!”_

_They didn’t hear him, everything was too loud, they started running._

_“It’s jammed,” Rex said, before the revolver went off in his hands._

◊◊

Cody took his breakfast outside again, same balcony. The Earl was not out fencing.

He read while he ate, flipping the pages with one hand while the other alternated between a cup of tea and a yellow pear.

 _Orestes_ began with an endless speech that he had to go over twice to make any sense of, and then Helen entered in mourning. She asked Electra to visit her dead sister’s tomb in her place because she didn’t want to be seen in Argos. The favor was denied, but still, her shame won out and she sent her daughter instead.

Cody didn’t know if he agreed with the decision, he closed the book and marked the page for a later time. 

When he looked out the garden was waiting for him, aggressively alive. He wondered if the Organas had done anything to deserve a view like this, or if they had just inherited it like most deep-pocketed, cigar-smoking heavyweights he’d crossed paths with.

Someone tapped his arm, and when he turned there was no one there.

He was tapped again, dragging his gaze down to the very short man next to him. “Sorry,” he sat up, embarrassed. “Mr. Artoo, good morning.”

Artoo dipped his head curtly before jumping quickly into sign language. Cody was rusty, but he recognized the name ‘Tano’ being spelled out, and the phrase, ‘For you.’

“Er, Miss Tano’s here?”

Artoo nodded and gestured to the door where Ahsoka was watching them with wide eyes. 

Cody rose to his feet, hastily dusting crumbs off his jacket as he turned to face her, “Lady Tano, Good morning.”

“Morning, Commander. May I have a moment?”

“Of course,” Cody held his hand out. “Please, sit down.”

Ahsoka bent her knees in a half-curtsy and stopped to send Artoo off before settling down at the table. Her dress was maroon, the sleeves were loose, and this time Cody could just make out the tips of her blades. Rex had a good eye.

Cody smiled, offered her a cup of tea. “What can I help you with?”

“I’m here on behalf of the Earl, actually,” she was dodging his eye contact. “Although, I should tell you that he didn’t…send me, exactly.” 

Cody hadn’t thought much about the Earl since he’d woken up, still didn’t know what to make of the impromptu dance lesson. He folded his hands and played innocent, “What do you mean by that?” 

“Well, the plan for today was to take Luke swimming down at the pond, and while I think we’d all be fine on our own, I mean,” she took her tea straight, no cream or sugar, “you and your brother are the only other guests here, so, I thought I’d extend an invitation.”

“And the Earl wouldn’t be bothered if we joined you?”

“Not at all,” her montrals perked up, she didn’t seem to be lying. “In fact, he was very impressed with the way you handled Luke’s temper yesterday, and now that there’s going to be two of them, I think he’d-”

“Two of them?” 

“Oh, right,” Ahsoka’s laugh was nervous, she tossed the spoon she was holding into the air and flipped it with an unnerving level of accuracy. “Leia, the Organa’s daughter, she’s around Luke’s age so we’re taking her along, total sweetheart.”

Cody was getting better at handling surprises. It made sense now that Ahsoka wanted additional company, the number of unpredictable five-year-olds had doubled and someone would need to keep Kenobi calm. “That sounds nice, I’ll have to ask Rex if he has any plans of course, but-”

“Absolutely, and take your time deciding, we’re gonna need a few hours to get everything ready.”

He’d go, no question, but there was no reason to appear eager. “I’ll make sure to get back to you before then, thank you.”

She smiled at him over the rim of her cup as she downed the last of her tea. Her eyes were bright and the ring finger on her right hand was unnaturally short, like it had healed wrong after a bad break. She was looking at him just as closely.

◊◊

“Stop yawning, I let you sleep as long as I could.”

Rex rubbed his eyes and groaned while Cody fixed his tie. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked like hell, but that was his problem now.

“You don’t have to deal with the kids or Kenobi, but I want you on the Governess,” Cody gave him a shake. “Wake up, listen, there’s something going on with her.”

“She’s carrying around a pair of knives, there, mystery solved.”

“No, it’s more than that, I was talking to her this morning and she was all off, really nervous, wouldn’t look me in the eye.”

“Maybe she doesn’t like you.”

“Shut up,” Cody hooked their arms together and began dragging Rex down the hall. “Just keep an eye on her, I want to know if we should be taking this seriously.”

“Were we not — let go of me, I can walk on my own — were we not taking her seriously before?” Rex craned his neck, trying to catch Cody’s eye, “Because in my experience, governesses are not typically armed.”

“She’s a threat if those knives are for us, but for now we have nothing on her, so we don’t make assumptions, we observe.”

“Are you hearing yourself?”

Cody was optimistic that the outing would provide a good opportunity to gather information, but he had his reservations. He could not for the life of him imagine where he’d found the gall to laugh in a man’s face and then ask him to dance in the same breath. It was so unlike him, so far off the script he’d spent years perfecting. He needed to be back in control, no more drifting. 

He could still feel the spot on his hip where Kenobi’s hand had been, it was going cold.

They arrived at the meeting spot a minute early and were greeted first by Luke, who came charging out of the house, careening headfirst into Rex’s leg with a hug. “Hi!”

“Ah, hey, kid,” Rex mumbled, before reaching down to pat the top of Luke’s head so softly you’d think he was made of china.

They were joined a moment later by the Earl — dressed in blue and carrying a wicker basket — and Ahsoka who was holding the hand of a stony-faced little girl.

“Good day, Gentlemen,” Kenobi said with a wave, giving no indication that anything had changed from the night prior. 

“My Lord,” Cody bowed. “It’s good to see you again. You as well Miss Tano.” 

After a short round of greetings that Rex somehow did not stumble through, Cody leaned down and held out a hand for the newest addition to their group, “I don’t think we’ve been introduced, I’m Commander Fett.”

“That’s Leia!” Luke announced. “She’s gonna go swimming with me.”

“Luke,” Ahsoka warned. “If you interrupt again, we are going right back inside.”

Unfazed by the interjection, Leia took his hand and crossed her buckled shoes in a curtsey, “Leia Organa, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Leia,” Cody repeated with a smile. “What can you tell me about the swimming around here?”

The walk down to the lagoon was spent nodding along to a surprisingly detailed step-by-step guide on how to perfect a breaststroke. Leia spoke quickly but was never difficult to understand, she kept glancing up to make sure he was following along, and didn’t let go of Ahsoka’s hand until they were safely at the water’s edge.

Cody couldn’t help his fondness; she was just like Rex had been when he was young. They had the same wide brown eyes and no-nonsense tone, the type of kid that you had to watch your mouth around, they remembered everything.

◊◊

_Cody saw everything. He saw the bullet go in and he saw the bullet go out and he saw the blood spray through the yellow light of the lamppost watching over them._

_He turned away and threw a hand over his mouth, Fox shouted something over the crash of gunfire._

_Rex was sitting back on his heels; he hadn’t seen a thing. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered, “I didn’t mean to waste a shot, it went off by accident.”_

_Cody couldn’t speak, he couldn’t scream, he grabbed Rex’s face and pulled him close, shielding him from the lump in the street._

_“What is it?” Rex was struggling against him; he didn’t know, he hadn’t seen. “Cody let go, what’s wrong?”_

◊◊

The price Rex paid for shadowing Ahsoka was becoming the main target of Luke’s splashing. He was doing his best to jump out of the way, but that was only feeding the fire.

Cody watched with mild amusement and hung back to help Lord Kenobi unpack the picnic basket. “I’m happy to see there’s another kid around, would’ve felt bad if we were the only company Luke had.”

“I know, and isn’t she just lovely?” Kenobi stared off wistfully as Leia’s head bobbed in and out of the water. “We’re actually hoping she rubs off on him a bit, though, I fear we’re being too ambitious.”

“Why’s that?” 

“It might sound awful, but I think he’s too trusting,” Kenobi sank down onto the blanket they’d set out and leaned back on his elbows, head resting on a shoulder as he watched the children play. “He thinks everyone’s his friend, just look at your brother.”

Cody huffed as Rex dodged a clump of moss that had been rocketing towards his head. “He is right about Rex though, Captain likes to put on a tough face but that’s all it is, he’s having fun.”

“Are you sure? Looks like he’s fighting for his life.”

“Don’t worry,” Cody laughed. “He was great with the twins when we were younger.”

Kenobi looked up at him, the blue in his jacket didn’t quite match his eyes, “You have twins in your family?”

“Yeah,” Cody had to turn away, he was thinking of waltzes. “Two sets of them, Rex was born in the middle, tough draw.”

“My God, how did your parents ever sleep at night?”

Cody had to check himself before he replied. He’d already said too much, too much that was true anyway. “They had me; I kept the little demons in order. But ah, what about you? Many siblings?”

“Just the one.”

It was the wrong question to ask, and Cody knew just from the Earl’s voice not to inquire any further. He wondered if they were speaking about the dead mother that Luke had so readily informed him of. He moved on cleanly, “I started the book you gave me, the play.”

“Did you?” The smile returned to Kenobi’s voice. “What do you think so far?”

“I think Electra’s speech was very long,” he admitted. “But I didn’t get far, you’ll have to ask me again later.”

“I plan on it, and I expect a full report on my desk by Sunday, Commander.”

Cody saluted the rustling oak leaves above them. “Sir, yes Sir.”

Kenobi’s laugh was soft as he sat up to shrug his jacket off. The wrinkles around his eyes were standing out like they had been in the library; he wore them better than most men his age. “I appreciate your honesty, and I won’t be hurt if you don’t like something, especially _Fatal Revenge_ , it’s quite ambitious as I said.”

“I’m excited for that one actually, I’ve decided to only read it before bed, have to get the mood right.”

Kenobi smirked, “Ghosts by candlelight?”

“Only seems right.”

“And what happens if a maid comes knocking?” Kenobi pushed his sleeves up and massaged his wrists as he spoke, “Do you scare easily, or will you be brave enough to venture through the darkness and open the bedroom door?”

“You’re forgetting how many younger brothers I have,” Cody scoffed. “I’ve been checking closets for ghosts since before I could walk.”

“Ever find anything?”

“Once or twice.”

Kenobi rolled his eyes, still smiling out at the lagoon. “How lucky we are to have men like you defending the crown. I’d never survive canon-fire, let alone a haunted closet.”

Luke screeched as Ahsoka threw him into the water and Cody lay back to watch them. Rex had taken his boots off and succumbed to the madness, taking turns with Ahsoka and seeing how far they could toss the overexcited children. Leia was winning by virtue of tucking her legs in while airborne, Luke had yet to adopt the technique. 

It was strange to see Rex in such a domestic setting, sad too, he’d never really gotten a shot at childhood in the way Cody and Fox had. He’d been born too late just like Fives and Echo, like Boba, things were already a mess, they never had a say in the matter.

“Do you want something to drink?” Kenobi asked, reaching into the basket and brandishing a pair of crystal wine glasses. “I brought a rosé.”

It was barely noon; Cody wasn’t supposed to be drinking.

“It’s French obviously, thought I’d stick with the theme.”

It took him a moment to understand the Earl’s meaning, and then his ears went hot. He’d been under the impression they weren’t going to talk about that. He took the glass without hesitation.

“Thank you for being constructive with your pity, by the way, I think most men would have left me to suffer.” The bottle had been opened previously, and Kenobi popped the cork out with his teeth. His canines were sharp. 

“Least I could do,” Cody muttered, holding his glass out. “Good practice for the both of us.”

“Oh? Will you be at the party next week?”

The finale of the derby’s commencement ceremonies would be a night-long celebration hosted by the Organas. Rex had already made it clear that he would be taking the opportunity to search the attic unbothered, which meant Cody would be left to wallflower and suffer through sobriety for the sake of their image. “I will, it’s been a while since I’ve spent time on the continent, it’ll be nice to reintroduce myself.” 

“And will you dance?”

“Suppose I’ll have to.” Cody tipped his glass back, the rosé was good, sweet.

◊◊

_“Don’t look,” he pressed Rex’s face into his chest. “Don’t look, don’t look.”_

_A stray bullet from one of the guards hit the little body splayed across the cobblestones and it twitched. Cody felt bile in his throat, he couldn’t hear anything except the rush of blood in his ears._

_He closed his eyes and told himself it wasn’t real. They had gotten away clean like they were supposed to, he was safe in bed, this was just a bad dream._

_Rex’s fist hit him in the chest, “Stop! You’re scaring me, what happened?”_

_“They got him,” Cody lied. “One of the guards, they got him, he’s-”_

_“What? Who?”_

_“He’s-fuck, fuck!” He shouldn’t have run out, Cody was supposed to go to them, it was a bad dream, it was a bad dream._

_Rex pulled himself away and Cody was suddenly too weak to stop him._

_He kept his eyes closed. Rex was back in his arms after a moment, he was shaking, Fox was screaming his name._

◊◊

Two glasses in and the Earl was telling him about the professional fencing circuit. He’d been a champion since fifteen, and while he didn’t boast about any awards in particular, his descriptions of the various tournaments were too detailed to be exaggerations. He’d loved Germany, hated Spain, and couldn’t recall much of his time in Switzerland on account of being young and drinking too much. 

Cody sat back on an elbow with the sun on his face and a buzz in his ears. He wasn’t drunk by any means, just content. The Earl spoke with his hands and the pink liquid in his glass would bubble and splash around while he gestured in great sweeping movements. He was easy to listen to, and easier to watch.

After an hour or so Ahsoka and her crew of sopping wet accomplices wandered over with demands for lunch and towels. Rex helped to dry the children off and Cody handed out lumps of bread before pouring himself another glass.

Luke filled him in on the events of their swim with great enthusiasm while Rex nodded off in a patch of shade. It was warm, Cody took his jacket off, he smiled as he leaned over Lord Kenobi’s lap to grab a napkin. When he sat back down Kenobi was smiling too and Cody had successfully stolen his wallet.

◊◊

_Cody picked Rex up and ran the whole six meters. The guards fired at him the entire time while Fox kept them back. He had two revolvers after Cody had thrown his over._

_He didn’t look down as he passed the body, and he wasn’t hit once, not even a scratch. It was some angel he had on his shoulder._

_He put Rex down once they were behind the wagon with Fox who dropped down next to him, pupils blown wide open, “Oh my God.”_

_“Bullet went through his head, he’s gone,” Cody said. “We gotta run.”_

_“Charlie, we can’t just leave him.”_

_“One of you has to carry Rex, forget the money.”_

_“We gotta get his fucking body at least, we can’t-”_

_Cody grabbed his gun out of Fox’s hand and fired over the top of the wagon. “I said run!”_

_It wasn’t until Fox was long gone and Cody was shooting double-fisted at a group of ten uniformed men that any of it started to sink in. The first thing he realized was that his brother was going cold in a pool of blood, the second was that he didn’t even know which one it was._

◊◊

“You’re a bastard, you know that?”

“What?”

Rex stared daggers through him and yanked his tie off as the bedroom door slammed shut, “Don’t say ‘what.’ You sat there for two hours getting drunk while I worked my ass off, you know exactly why I’m pissed off.”

“I’m not drunk,” Cody corrected. “And for the record, I was doing what I had to,” he reached into his breast pocket and waved the leather-bound stack of papers. “I got his wallet.”

“Oh,” Rex threw his hands up mockingly. “ _It’s a miracle_ , Charlie stole a wallet, I can’t believe my eyes.”

“Hey,” he barked. “You call me that again and I’ll-”

“And what? What are you gonna threaten me with this time?” Rex shoved past and sat down heavy on the side of his bed. “I’m just saying that you could have helped me out a little, I think I pulled a muscle tossing those kids around.”

“Would you have preferred to sit with the Earl and talk about his family?”

“Don’t be like that! I’m right, you should have switched out with me or - hell, you could’ve made him do it, he’s the Goddamn Uncle.”

“Was it really _that_ bad?”

“You said I wouldn’t have to deal with the kids.”

Cody ignored him and started flipping through the Earl’s wallet. Rex was tired and in a mood, he’d been having fun with the twins, just didn’t want to admit it.

“Fine, don’t listen to me,” Rex kicked his boots off and began throwing his clothes into a pile on the floor. “See how you handle yourself tonight, cause I’m not going to dinner with you.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m getting a nap in before I start working again, there’s a chest in one of the guest rooms that I want to check.”

“Whatever, have fun.”

Kenobi had asked if they wanted to join him and Luke for dinner and Cody said yes before he even understood the offer. It was implied that Rex would be going too, but convincing him to go would likely require a lengthy argument that Cody didn’t have the energy for.

He resigned himself instead to a reading table in the corner and began laying out his stolen goods. Most of it was fairly standard; banknotes, a tiny portrait of Queen Amidala, an invitation from the Organas, nothing they could do anything with. 

After sifting through what was essentially a pile of trash, his only hope was a bundle of four letters, all folded and weathered at the edges. The first one he opened was from Luke and dated only eight months ago. The page was stained by tiny fingerprints and the lines of text were hilariously crooked. 

_Uncle Ben,_

_I am so exticted to see you. I am four now. I will be Five when I go to Scotland and see you._

_I like to play with my dog, I like to play tag. How are you? I am good._

_Uncle Owen helped me write this._

_Love, Luke_

Cody chuckled to himself as he folded it back up. It wouldn’t do them any good, but he set the wrinkled page aside for Rex to look over when he quit stomping around.

The second was confusing, and he made a copy of it after reading it through twice.

_Dear Obi-Wan,_

_You told me not to, but I am, and I know you won’t be angry._

_I miss you and I was thinking about the trip we took to Wales when I was nine. I don’t remember it well, but you had very short hair and you bought me a robe to keep me warm at night. I’m wearing a robe right now and it’s all I can think of, Wales._

_You know what she’s like, how could I not, how could anyone not._

_I hope I see you again soon, it would be nice if we were all together for once,_

_my best,_

The name was torn out, and the missing piece was nowhere to be found.

The third letter was from a ‘Master Jinn,’ and was an enthusiastic congratulations on one of the Earl’s fencing matches that Cody only skimmed over. His frustration was building and the last one looked far too old to be anything related to their investigation, but he cracked it open anyway, just to be sure. 

The ink was faded and almost unreadable in certain parts, even the spot of spilled wine on the corner was going brown. He went to the window in search of better lighting and had to squint over the page as he read.

_Obi-Wan,_

_You’re going to make a horrible Earl when your father dies, I hope to God he lives forever._

_I think you know why I’m writing, you scrub. You’re lucky that your taxi left at the crack of dawn and I had been drinking, I would have wrung your neck had I been sober, because haven’t you heard, hedge-whore? The word is out about you and Satine. Did you really think you were being sly? Did you really think no one would hear you of all people through those paper-thin walls?_

Cody had to stop. His ears were ringing, he glanced up to make sure Rex wasn’t watching him. 

When his lungs started working again he took a deep breath to clear his mind and began to fold the page back up. This was clearly a very personal message and the date at the bottom was from over ten years ago when the Earl was barely twenty-two. It had nothing to do with any diamonds.

The room went still for a moment, Cody read on.

_We’ll see each other at the tournament in Berlin, and you’d better watch your freckled ass. I wasn’t asking for your hand in marriage, I’ve spent just as many nights with Kit, and I know you like to get around too. However, if I’m going to be sucking your cock, I’d prefer it not be soiled by a woman who has made very clear that she wouldn’t be caught dead with me in public. She only goes out with the crew because she’s bored and likes to bicker with you, not because she actually likes any of us._

_With that being said, darling, if you wear that kilt again I’ll fuck you till you’re cross-eyed and can’t mount a horse for the next month._

_Much love,_

_Vos_

_P.S._

_I’ve heard from Luminara who had a dinner with Maul this past April, she tells me he is unwell and still bitter about your victory. I thought you would be pleased to hear that._

Cody closed the letter.

He stared out the window until the sun was burned into his vision and he saw a white circle when he blinked. 

◊◊

Ahsoka frowned from across the table, “Will the Captain not be joining us?”

“Not tonight,” Cody kept his attention on her and Luke, it was easier. “He forgot to write a letter earlier and wants to get it done before the sun goes down. I come bearing his apologies, of course.”

Luke groaned and stirred his pile of mashed potatoes with a lip puffed out, “Can he come tomorrow then?” 

“Tomorrow I think we’ll be dining with the Organas,” Cody turned down the butler’s offer for a glass of wine, he’d done enough for the day. “I don’t know if you’re going to be there, but Rex certainly will.” 

“Oh yes,” Lord Kenobi cut in. “We’ll all be there; I’d never miss a dinner with that family.”

“I’ve only heard the best,” Cody said, without really looking at him. “Have you known them long?”

“They’re all wonderful, and yes, ages, I think I met Bail when I was ten.”

“A friend from school?” 

“No,” Kenobi smiled faintly. “Our parents knew each other, we ended up at a lot of banquets and exceedingly boring conferences together. You said your father’s a Baron, didn’t you? I’m sure you know what I mean.”

Cody’s father got paid to kill people and make it look like an accident. “Of course, if it weren’t for my brothers I’d never have survived.” 

“And that’s why you have Leia, right?” Ahsoka reached over and fixed Luke’s bangs. “I don’t think the two of you are going to be interested in the derby for very long, it’s a lot more sitting around than you think.”

Luke shook his head vehemently, “No! I like horses, so does Leia! She’s gonna cheer for Eggy too.”

Cody had to ask, “Eggy?”

“Ah, my horse,” Kenobi laughed. “I brought one of my thoroughbreds over from the stables back home, we’ll see how he does.”

“And his name is…Eggy?”

“Well, that’s what Luke calls him,” Ahsoka explained. “He’ll be listed as _The Negotiator_ – only slightly less humiliating.”

Kenobi gasped, offended, “I like that name!”

“Alright, I’m convinced,” Cody toasted his water to Luke. “Eggy’s got my bet.”

“He’s gonna win,” Luke declared. “He’s gonna win because I told him to.”

It was something like a normal family dinner after that, and Cody was happy to retreat comfortably into the audience. Luke babbled on, Lord Kenobi listened with a smile, and Ahsoka preached about the merits of eating your vegetables.

◊◊

_Cody took off running down the alley after more men arrived and didn’t stop for thirty minutes._

_He threw up at some point and then he was back home. He’d lost the guards, but he was sure they’d seen his face. He was still unharmed, the blood on his shirt wasn’t his._

_When he opened the door Rex was sitting at the dinner table with his face hidden and Fox was bleeding from the shoulder, must have gotten hit at some point._

_Cody couldn’t feel his feet as he let himself be dragged into the kitchen._

_Fives and Echo were asleep upstairs, so Fox shut the door carefully before turning on him, “What the fuck, Charlie.”_

_“I don’t know,” his mouth was dry, it hurt to speak. “There wasn’t supposed to be that many-”_

_“We have to go back for him,” Fox pushed him into the table and crowded in close. “I can’t live with myself if we don’t go back.”_

_“You know it’s too late for that.”_

_“Fuck you,” there were tears in Fox’s eyes and the bleeding on his shoulder was only getting worse. “Oh my God,” he covered his face with his hands. “What the hell are we gonna tell Dad?”_

◊◊

“Okay,” Ahsoka was the first to make a move. “That was a big yawn outa you, Luke. I think we should head up.”

“No I’m okay,” the accused whined. “I’m not tired I’m gonna go-”

“You’re gonna go upstairs and get washed up for bed, let’s get moving.”

“What about Uncle Ben?”

“I’ll still be up to read to you,” Kenobi tossed his napkin on the table and stood up in support of Ahsoka. “I think I left something of mine down at the pond earlier, I have to run down there and then I’ll be back.” 

Cody had the missing wallet in his coat pocket, he needed to return it before any alarms were raised. “You left something? Need any help with the search?”

“Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to bother you. I’m sure it’s right where we were sitting.”

“Really? It’s getting dark.” It was pushy, Cody knew it. He could see Ahsoka watching him from the corner of his eye. “I wouldn’t want you to be late for Mr. Luke’s bedtime.”

The silence stretched on a second too long, and then Lord Kenobi gave in, hiding a smirk as he slipped his gloves on, “My, what a gentleman.”

Cody pulled his coat down tight over his shoulders as he stood. He was biding his time, he knew once Ahsoka and Luke were gone there’d be nothing stopping him from thinking about the letter. “What was it that you lost?”

“The papers I carry in my coat. It’s nothing too important, but I’m getting sentimental in my old age, it’d be a shame if they were gone for good.”

Ahsoka scoffed and lifted Luke into her arms. “Calm down, you’re not even forty yet.”

“You’re the one always calling me old,” Kenobi pointed out. “Aren’t you happy that I’m learning to accept myself?”

“Not when you get sad about it,” she grumbled. “Don’t be long, you know how he gets.”

“I will, I’ve got a military escort.”

Luke waved goodbye over Ahsoka’s shoulder as the two disappeared down the hall, and then all at once, Cody was alone with the Earl again.

It was the first time he’d ever felt any guilt for someone he was trying to rob, and it wasn’t even over the money. He just knew he shouldn’t have read it, that he should have left a decade-old letter stay folded in a rich man’s wallet.

Kenobi nodded to the opposite hallway. “Shall we?”

“After you, my Lord.”

Cody followed close behind and he didn’t think about the letter and he didn’t think about a wild twenty-two-year-old in Berlin who slept with multiple women at once and wore kilts to bed. He didn’t think about Satine who liked to bicker or the scorned Vos who did things with her mouth, he didn’t care. He wished he had taken wine with dinner.

Lord Kenobi’s coattails fluttered out behind him in the evening breeze as he turned and waited until Cody had joined him, shoulder to shoulder. With the sunset at his back, his face was all in shadow, the edges soft. “So, two days under your belt, think the trip was worth it yet?”

Cody focused on the sound of their footsteps in the grass, “Haven’t done much but lounge about and read, it’s worse than the war.”

“You’re right, you poor man, what have we been putting you through?”

Cody smiled, “In all honesty though, it is an amazing property. I think I could stay here the whole trip but, I hear the town is nice this time of year.”

“And the coast,” Kenobi added. “You’ve got to see the coast, it’s nothing like England, you’ve never seen this before.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Oh, but I forgot,” Kenobi chuckled and clapped a hand over his forehead. “You’re from New Zealand, what am I telling you about the ocean for?” 

“It’s alright, it’s different everywhere, still want to see what Saltcoats has to offer.” Cody couldn’t remember the beaches of Wairarapa, just the boat ride away from them. He didn’t want to talk about New Zealand. “What about the start of the derby? Looking forward to next week?”

“Yes and no,” Kenobi’s smile turned crooked. “It’ll be fun for Luke, and I’ll be excited to see one of my horses compete in person for once but, I don’t know.”

“Worried about your dancing?”

“Ha! If that were my biggest problem I wouldn’t be complaining, I have you now.”

Cody’s chest swelled and his hands found their way into his pockets where he closed them tight.

Kenobi’s eyes skipped off him after a moment, and when he spoke again he sounded tired. “It’s the crowd if you want the truth. There’s going to be a lot of people I haven’t seen in many years, and I have no idea what version of me each of them remembers.”

Cody knew the feeling. It had been like that when he got out of prison. He wanted to tell Lord Kenobi that it would be alright after a while, that the other people had changed too.

“I suppose I’ll just, ah,” Kenobi tried to laugh. “Let them down easy, hey?”

“You’re not-” Cody shook his head; it was almost comical. If there was anyone who had experience with boring and underwhelming nobility it was him, he could smell them a mile away, he’d made a career out of it. But after two of the most confusing days of his life, he could say with absolute certainty that despite having the correct input of money and privilege, Lord Kenobi was neither boring, nor underwhelming. “I don’t think you’ll be letting anyone down, my Lord.”

Kenobi turned to him, taken aback.

“What I mean is, you’re-” Cody would plead his case if he had to. “You’re still in good health, you’ve got a strong horse in the race, you’ve got a wonderful nephew who everyone will like, you’re-” _You gave me a book_ , he wanted to say, _you gave me a book and I’m sorry that I read your letters._

“I should apologize, Commander,” Lord Kenobi’s hand closed gently around Cody’s arm, just above the wrist. “That was the wine talking, I didn’t mean to go fishing for compliments like that.” His smile was worried, “But thank you, you’re very sweet.”

“You’re drunk?” Cody asked, because that was the only part he wanted to think about.

“No,” Kenobi’s hand fell away. “But I’ve reached the point where I start telling men I’ve known for two days about how awful getting old is.”

“You’re not old,” he said, half to himself. “You heard Miss Tano, not even forty is old.”

“Maybe not for dashing war heroes, but for an athlete? I might as well be on my deathbed.”

“I don’t know about that, I-”

“Damn,” Kenobi laughed. “I’m still doing it, I’m still complaining, I’m going to scare you off if I don’t stop.”

Cody slowed his pace as they reached the water. Was he the dashing war hero? He hadn’t caught that at first.

“I mean, God, all you know about me is that I can’t dance,” Kenobi stopped and began counting his points on his fingers. “I’m not a very good Uncle, I drink too much, I complain about my age, honestly, please tell me there’s something wrong with you, we have to get even somehow.”

“First off, I think you’d be a fine dancer with a bit of instruction, you’re a perfectly good Uncle, and-” Cody had to look away, Kenobi’s smile was contagious. “Alright, maybe you’ve had too much to drink for tonight, but-”

“See? Not even you can deny it!”

Cody wiped a hand across his face to hide a smile, he couldn’t deny the complaining either, “Let’s just find your papers.”

“Fine,” Kenobi laughed, giving his shoulder a light shove. “But you never answered me.”

“About what?”

“Fatal flaws, bad habits, got to be something,” Kenobi began half-heartedly scanning the ground as he searched. “If we’re going to be friends, it can’t just be me that we laugh at.”

Cody couldn’t remember the last time he’d been friendly with someone who wasn’t a relative, let alone someone his own age. “Sometimes I, ah,” he didn’t want to lie, he just wanted to keep talking. “Sometimes I cheat at cards.”

“No! Do you really?”

He glanced at Kenobi with an eyebrow raised, “Especially with my brothers.”

“Well, who better?”

“Don’t mention any of that to Rex, though,” Cody raised a warning finger. “He’s never been able to prove it.”

Kenobi threw his arm out and bowed dramatically until his hair fell forward, “You have my most valuable word, Commander. The truth of your deceitful nature is safe with me.”

Cody’s stomach flipped and he forced himself to turn around. In his pocket, he transferred the wallet to the sleeve of his coat. “Are we even now?”

“I think cheating at cards is more of a skill than anything else, but I’ll take it.”

He dropped the wallet in a patch of weeds while the Earl was looking away. He’d put everything back together in the exact order he’d found it, didn’t smudge any ink, didn’t pocket any banknotes, he’d been careful, Kenobi would never know. “I think I found it; it was just in the grass over here.”

Kenobi jogged over while Cody dusted dirt off the finely stitched leather. The sun had almost disappeared completely, turning the sky from pink to a dusty shade of purple. It was silence like you’d never find in London, it felt like they were the only two people for miles.

“Look at that, must have fallen out while we were leaving,” Kenobi turned his smile over to Cody as he tucked his belongings back into his coat pocket. “Thank you again, it’ll take me years to get out of your debt at this rate.”

Cody shrugged. “This was a favor for Luke, remember? We have to get you back in time for that bedtime story.”

“Right, how selfish of me to forget.” It wasn’t until Lord Kenobi stepped away that Cody realized how close they’d been standing. “We’d better hurry back.”

It was dark by the time they passed the stables, and the house was only a set of candle-lit windows waiting for them at the top of the hill. 

Kenobi was quiet, so Cody started thinking about the job again. He knew Rex would be after him as soon as he made it up to his room and he’d have to help him search the house, he’d have to admit that there had been nothing of interest in the wallet, he’d have to stop pretending he was enjoying himself.

It was pathetic, in a way. He’d been dreading being left alone with Lord Kenobi, and now he didn’t want to leave.

“I don’t think I’ll see you until dinner tomorrow, I’ve got an appointment in town,” Kenobi held the door and filed in behind Cody. “But will you send my thanks along to your brother? He was wonderful with the children earlier.”

The hallway was small and muffled, Cody gave a short bow, “I will, and I’m glad Miss Tano thought to invite us.” He didn’t want to leave. “I had a very pleasant time today.” 

“So did I.”

There was more to say, Cody didn’t know what it was, but the words hung there in the odd little gap between them.

“Goodnight, Commander.”

“Goodnight,” Cody parroted back.

The Earl turned and headed off down the hallway and it didn’t feel right. Cody felt like he was missing something, or that they were still in the middle of a conversation and he needed to reply. He needed to run after Lord Kenobi and apologize for reading his letters, he needed to make sure he knew he wasn’t a bad Uncle, just a nervous one, he needed to say, ‘ _I’m not a dashing war hero, I’m sorry, I’m just this, and you should be scared of me because I’m not trying to be your friend, I’m trying to hurt you.’_

He did nothing, he went back to his room and found Rex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY WE GET IT they're both near 40-year-old alcoholics who are lonely and into each other now can WE PLEASE HAVE A PLOT????? yes, plot coming soon 😬✌🏼
> 
> the lovely @kuldrenett made some edits of the crew in their historically accurate fits that I'm honest to god obsessed with 😫💘  
> Here's [Obi, Ahsoka, and the Fett boys](https://kuldrenett.tumblr.com/post/642121935129624576/i-had-so-much-fun-yesterday-with-the-1850s) 🥺


	4. Molotov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one came a few days late! It's the longest update so far, so I hope that makes up for it 😬
> 
> Happy Valentines day!! 💗💗
> 
> Thank you to @beanabouttown, @kitcatkim, and @thanksveryga (tumblr handles) for beta reading!! You guys are the best 🥰

“First off, she’s strong as all hell.”

“Are you saying that because she threw Luke farther than you?”

Rex’s stare went icy. “No. I’m saying that because she is, she’s got arms like a wrestler.”

It had taken them till noon to stop fighting, but things were still tense. Cody was only bearing it to get the report on Ahsoka. “Okay, she’s strong, anything else?”

“Can you just shut up and listen?” Rex bit, buttering his toast as angrily as possible. “I didn’t want to sound suspicious, but I managed to get her talking a little.”

Cody sat back and kept an eye out for any maids passing by. He did not doubt that the staff would gossip to the wrong ears if they overheard some of the conversations he and Rex had been having.

“She’s been taking care of the kid for two years now, but she’s only nineteen – which, by the way,” Rex raised his butterknife with a frown. “She kept bossing me around, I’m a Goddamn Captain, and I was getting told off by a nineteen-year-old nanny.” 

“Well, nannies do outrank Captains.”

“Oh, you’re so funny,” Rex deadpanned. “I’m rolling on the floor, anyway, she’s from Chicago.”

“Where’s that?” Cody didn’t know much about America, but from what he’d heard, a criminal would be well-fed no matter where they landed.

“I don’t know, not on the coast. All she said was that Togruta owned the whole north side.”

“And she still lives there? With the other Kenobis?”

Rex shook his head. “New York, she moved there for the job.”

Cody was impressed, it was a decent amount of information Rex had managed to dig up. “I’m willing to bet on who sent her recommendation letter, you see the way she talks to the Earl?”

“Yeah, I’ve got no idea where that history comes from though, wasn’t sure how to ask.”

“That’s fine, play it safe,” Cody sighed. “Did she seem like she was lying about any of it? Was she on edge with you as well?”

“Not as far as I could tell; I think it’s only your neck she wants to slit.”

“Fantastic.” The backstory was good, but it was creating more questions than answers. “Let’s just hope we can make it through the trip without having to deal with her, she’s not in the way of anything right now.”

“You won’t be saying that if she’s waiting for you in front of the Earl’s bedroom tonight with a pair of freshly sharpened knives.”

Cody’s stabbed at his lunch as his sarcastic response died in his throat. The time had come to locate the Earl’s bedroom after their completely useless night of searching through random trunks and closets, they couldn’t just putter around anymore.

The plan was to either follow Kenobi in secret after he left dinner with the Organas or get him drunk enough that he wouldn’t mind being asked where he slept. It wasn’t dangerous, and Cody had done the dance a hundred times over with his other victims, but he was hoping he wouldn’t have to abuse the Earl’s drinking problem. 

“Are you going to drug him?”

“No,” Cody’s chest contracted at the thought. “I won’t need to; he’ll talk on his own.”

“Was he talking yesterday? At the pond when the two of you were getting smashed on wine and I was-”

“Yes, and he will again, let me worry about Kenobi.” He was getting tired of Rex’s complaints. “You should be thinking about dinner, it’s going to be a long night.”

At best, their meal with the Organas would be a few hours of rehearsing manners and kissing asses, and at worst, Rex would be asked how their father’s oh-so-successful company in Wales was doing and have to answer believably.

“Don’t remind me,” Rex groaned. “I can’t believe you used to do this shit all the time, I would have lost my mind.”

“Has its perks, I doubt you ever got food this nice during a break-in.”

Rex tossed a grape up in the air and caught it in his mouth, his eyes already smiling. “You’re lying again, you don’t do this for the food, not even the nice mattresses.”

There was no chance in hell that he’d like the answer, but Cody asked anyway, “Oh really? Enlighten me then, _Captain_ , why do I waste so much time playing dress-up when a revolver and a dark alley could land me the same wallet?”

“Cause you like to look them in the eyes.” Rex’s answer was quick and well-rehearsed, like he’d come to these conclusions a long time ago. “And I don’t mean like a cat playing with its prey, you’re not trying to scare anyone, you’re not cruel, per se.”

“But?”

“But there’s something wrong with you,” Rex laughed. “You should have seen the way you were looking at Kenobi yesterday, no – the way he was looking at you.”

The air in Cody’s lungs became heavy all of a sudden.

“I mean, you’re sitting there just completely fucking him over, lying to his face, stealing his wallet, the works, but,” Rex put his hands up, impressed. “I gotta give it to you, Charlie, you had him starin’ at you like you were the center of the universe, and you can’t tell me you weren’t loving it, I saw you.”

Cody swallowed dryly and dug his nails into his palms. The sound of Rex’s laughter was distant, and he was wrong. There wasn’t anything that Cody loved about lying to the Earl. “Don’t call me Charlie,” was all he said. “It’s Cody, you know that.” 

◊◊

_“You didn’t tell me you were doing this, and you didn’t tell me you were taking Casey on a job. That was a choice, you didn’t tell me on purpose.”_

_“Dad-”_

_“So don’t give me this bullshit that you didn’t know it would be dangerous, you knew. You wouldn’t have kept it from me if you thought any different.”_

_Fox’s grunt of pain was muffled by the rag in his mouth, and when Cody looked up, his father was holding a misshapen bullet. The hole in Fox’s shoulder was empty now and dripping blood all the way down his arm, all the way to the tips of his fingers._

_Cody turned away and went back to staring at the dirty floorboards under his boots. He hadn’t slept in going on thirty hours, his brother was still dead._

_“I’m gonna pour some water on it and then I’m gonna start with the stitches,” Jango’s voice was hollow, and it was followed by the sound of a bottle of gin being slid across the table. “Drink some more, you’ll need it.”_

_“I need a minute,” Fox muttered, his breath short. “Just-please, a minute.”_

_“Fine.” The legs of Jango’s stool screeched as he turned back around to Cody. “You ready to tell me the truth now?”_

_Cody hadn’t cried yet, he wished he would. “We didn’t tell you because we knew you wouldn’t want Rex to go, that’s it, I had no way of knowing there’d be that many guards, I-”_

_“Three of your brothers have been shot, and another’s in the city morgue, I’m not going to sit here and listen to you defend yourself.” Jango’s voice was shaking, and Cody could hear him fighting to keep it down. “You’re a grown man, Charles, same as me. Act like it.”_

◊◊

Cody dressed in his second-best coat and his worst tie. The goal was not to win the favor of the Organas, it was to convince them that he was a polite and forgettably average guest. The less they thought about him the better. 

He had no notes to go over, all Palpatine had thought to provide him with were the basics of Lord Organa’s involvement in the shipbuilding industry – something Cody had no understanding of – and practically nothing else. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it, he could improvise, but Leia’s existence hadn’t even been common knowledge until a day ago, the Organas could be anyone.

He directed his frustration into straightening the collar of his shirt, he’d fixed it ten times over and he’d fix it again. In his reflection, the copy he’d made of Lord Kenobi’s letter taunted him from the top of the dresser. He’d read it so many times he knew it by heart. 

_I miss you and I was thinking about the trip we took to Wales when I was nine._

Rex was convinced it was just a meaningless update from one of Kenobi’s relatives, possibly the sibling he didn’t want to talk about, nothing they should waste time on.

But there was something about the ripped-out name, it was the only evidence of the Earl’s supposed obsession with secrecy that Cody had found. Kenobi hadn’t bothered to rip out Vos’ name, why this one?

_You know what she’s like, how could I not, how could anyone not._

Cody gave up on his collar and rebuttoned the sleeves of his coat one by one. He’d decided to stop being a child about the Earl’s other letter. The one from Vos. The sex life of a man Cody didn’t know from over ten years ago was nothing he should have ever given a thought to in the first place.

He didn’t even give a thought to his own sex life. Women were beautiful, they were nice to talk to, nice to buy a drink for, but then they’d kiss him and it was all over. It was the same routine every time, he’d kiss her on the lips, on the neck, they’d have to find a room, he’d have to pay for it, his fingers were too wide to undo all the ties on her dress, such a hassle.

He wondered if the Earl had the same problem, if his fingers were clumsy with the laces of a corset, or if they were quick and he had her open in seconds, his calloused palms flat against the warm skin of her lower back.

“You done preening yet?”

Cody’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest, he hadn’t heard Rex come in. “Shit, will you knock?”

“I did,” Rex hovered by the door, his gaze wary. “Are you nervous? You can’t be nervous because I’m already nervous.”

“I’m fine,” Cody went back to examining his buttons, he was fine.

“Better be, doesn’t look good if we wear the same outfit at dinner.”

“I am. So are you.”

Rex rolled his eyes and went to the window where the sun was hanging low in the sky. He looked nice, the coat he had on was the frock he’d bought himself, not something Palpatine had ordered for them. “You think they’ll ask me about the family?”

“Most likely, it’s a polite thing to ask.”

Rex’s back was turned, but the stiffness in his shoulders suggested that he was frowning, “How much do we tell them?”

“I’ve told the Earl how many siblings we have, plus the added stuff about Dad being a Baron in Wales and all that.” Cody left the mirror and approached Rex slowly, “It’ll be fine, there’ll be two kids at the table so the conversation has to stay light, just tell them what they want to hear.”

“Which is?”

“We’re rich, we’re boring, we don’t collect wanted posters with our faces on them.”

◊◊

"My name is Mary, if you were wondering,” the pink Twi’lek girl’s lekku bounced as she led them through the halls and towards the as of yet unexplored third dining hall. She spoke in a stilted Scottish accent and was not even pretending to be addressing the both of them, she had eyes only for Rex. “I help with laundry sometimes, so if you’d like something pressed, just ask for Mary.”

Rex nodded, glancing to Cody for help that he would not receive. “Got it, Mary, okay.”

She wilted at the sound of Rex saying her name. “I’d be available at any time, Captain. I take my duties very seriously.”

Cody cleared his throat, snapping Mary out of her trance, “Is there anything we should know before we meet the family?”

“Anything, ah,” she blinked, most likely trying to remember who he was. “No, not that I can think of. Lord and Lady Organa are very pleasant hosts.”

“And dinner?”

“I believe there’s only going to be three main courses, Sir. Lord Organa doesn’t like meals to run too long when the children are present.” She turned her attention back to Rex, her eyes going soft. “However, Mr. Threepio was having the front parlor room cleaned out for use later this evening. I’ll be helping with the drinks; I hope to see you there.”

Cody gave up and left her to her fantasies. He needed to make sure he had his game-plan in order. Dinner would likely be formulaic, he’d be polite, cover for Rex, redirect questions when he needed to, but drinks in the parlor would be important. He couldn’t let the Earl out of his sight. 

Mary slowed as they reached a set of ornamented double doors and Cody began to brace himself. He’d been off those first few days; he’d be the first to admit it.

“I believe the Earl and his nephew are already waiting,” Mary stepped to the side as she swung the door open. “The Organas will be along shortly.”

Cody threw on a smile and charged in before he could spend any longer working himself up.

The room was smaller than the other dining rooms they’d been shown, and this was clearly the most personal of the three. The table was set for seven, with two silver candelabras rising up from a stark white tablecloth. The whole scene sparkled, especially the wine glasses which gleamed among a sea of china dishes and polished utensils that had likely been arranged using a ruler.

Cody pretended not to have heard Rex curse under his breath and walked over to greet the Earl, who was holding Luke up next to a painting of a ship at sea. “My Lord, good evening.”

“Commander, Captain,” Lord Kenobi smiled at them as Luke began squirming out his arms. “You two are looking well.”

Luke jumped down and ran over to Rex. “Can you throw me in the water again tomorrow? That was fun. Did you know that Uncle Ben punched somebody today?”

Rex didn’t answer, he looked just as confused as Cody felt.

“Luke,” Kenobi forced a laugh. “Do you remember the one thing we weren’t going to talk about at dinner?”

Luke thought for a moment, and then covered his mouth. “Sorry!”

As if on cue, Threepio came bustling in from the far set of doors, already in a full panic. “So sorry to be keeping you waiting, Lord Organa will be here in just a moment. I’ve added a cushion to Master Luke’s chair so that he might reach the table a little better, that’s what I usually do for Leia.” He turned to Cody and Rex, “Also, I wasn’t sure if either of you were left-handed, so I had your places set far enough apart that no matter what hand you eat with, you won’t be getting your elbows in anyone else’s food.”

“How…considerate,” Cody stammered.

“As for the meal, I forgot to ask, does anyone have an allergy to carrots? If not, we’ll be starting you off with a carrot soup, after which the wine will be brought out, and then-”

Before anyone could begin to process Threepio’s digressions, a tall man in a long black coat came strolling in completely unannounced. “Evening everyone, has Threepio fainted yet? Shall I call a doctor?”

Threepio snapped to attention and the man rested a friendly hand on his shoulder. “Apologies, my Lord! Had I known you were coming I would have made an effort to prepare an introduction, is Lady Organa on her way? I don’t want to make the same mistake twice, in fact-”

“Please, Mr. Threepio, you’ve done a fantastic job getting everything set for tonight, why don’t you go get yourself something to eat?” Threepio began his objections but the man only laughed. “Better yet, take the night off, and let Kay and Artoo handle everything, you’ve been busy all day.”

“I appreciate the offer, Sir, but if we are to avoid complete madness I suggest that-”

“Wonderful, I hope you have a relaxing evening.” The man turned his gaze then to the silent crowd, his smile wide and easy. “Is everyone as hungry as I am?”

“Yes,” Luke answered. “Is there gonna be dessert after?”

“Of course, that’s the only reason we’re here.”

Cody’s manners kicked in as the man approached, but his bow was stopped short by the brush of a hand on his shoulder.

“Please, Commander, no need for that,” the man held a hand out instead. “Bail Organa, I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Lord Organa’s handshake was firm and his posture wasn’t quite as stiff as the Earl’s. Any misgivings Cody had been having about the dinner were gone by the time he dropped his hand, this was not the high-browed snob he’d been expecting, he and Rex were perfectly safe.

“Commander Cody Fett, it’s a pleasure to meet you, my Lord.” Cody readjusted easily and matched Lord Organa’s casual tone without stumbling. “I can’t tell you how kind you are for allowing my brother and I to stay here with you, Alderaan has got to be one of the most beautiful properties I’ve ever seen.”

Lord Organa chuckled as he shook Rex’s hand. “Thank you, we take great pride in sharing our roof with anyone who needs it, we’re happy you’re here.” He caught sight of the Earl and cocked an eyebrow. “And you, I thought you were here to relax.”

Kenobi’s shoulders slumped and his smile went sour with embarrassment. “That was only a few hours ago, how is it that the entire town has already been informed?”

“Did you really hit him?” Lord Organa clapped a hand over his heart as he laughed, trying not to double over. “If he’s the same as he was ten years ago, I can’t say I blame you.”

Kenobi fought back a pained smile and raked a hand through his hair. “It won’t happen again.”

“It was like this,” Luke tugged Lord Organa’s pant-leg and bounced up on his toes in excitement. “Mister Organa, look, it was like this.”

“No,” Kenobi’s eyes went wide. “Luke, no-”

“Like this,” Luke scrunched his face up and threw a wild right hook at the air, punctuating the attack with a shout.

Lord Organa nodded in appreciation of the performance. “How ruthless! I didn’t know he had it in him.”

Encouraged by the praise, Luke’s punches become more violent, and in the chaos his tiny fists nearly delivered a knockout blow to the Earl who had leaned down to stop him.

“Oh my goodness,” a woman’s voice came drifting over from the doorway, taking the entire group by surprise. “We’re only a minute late and there’s already a brawl?”

“I’m afraid it’s only a recreation, my dear,” Lord Organa lamented. “We missed the main event.”

The woman, who could only be the Lady Organa herself, laughed as she floated over to them on a cloud of sweet perfume and glittering jewels. She was beautiful, and her smile lit up the room when Cody bowed to her. He gave a nod to Leia as well, who was at her side, silent and watchful. 

Lady Organa introduced herself as Breha, and took Lord Kenobi’s face in her hands before kissing his cheek. “Ahsoka couldn’t make it?”

“Not to dinner,” Kenobi sighed. “Though I think she’s going to try and find us later tonight.”

“I hope she does, we have so much to catch up on.” Lady Organa caught the Earl’s hand and gave it a subtle squeeze before looking down at Leia. “If you still have a question for the Captain, I think now is the time to ask.”

Cody felt Rex bristle next to him as Leia nodded solemnly, turning her heavy gaze his way. “Captain Rex,” she began, folding her hands neatly over her skirt. “Would you like to sit next to me?”

The room went deathly silent in anticipation of Rex’s decision. “Oh, er-I would, yes,” he stuttered. “That would be…nice. Yes.”

Pleased with the response, Leia began directing him to his seat, “I’m sitting right here next to my mother, so you can have this chair.”

“What if I wanna sit with him?” Luke groaned. “Leia why can’t-”

“I asked him first,” she said flatly. “So it’s too late.”

“Alright,” Lord Organa clapped his hands together. “I think we’ve put this meal off long enough, let’s find our seats before I start bargaining for the Captain as well.”

◊◊

 _Their father was still cleaning Fox’s shoulder up, so Cody was left to figure out breakfast for the twins and Boba on his own. Rex needed to eat too, but he was passed out by the fireplace and looked comfortable for the first time in hours, so Cody let him be._

_It was the quietest meal their house had ever seen. Echo stared furiously down into his bowl with watery eyes, and Fives couldn’t stop stealing glances at Rex and his blood-stained shirt. Neither of them were really eating, but Cody wasn’t going to tell them what to do, not after the news he’d woken them up with._

_After about twenty minutes of nothing but Fox’s muffled curses and Boba’s occasional babbling, the kitchen door opened and Jango came out looking for Rex._

_Boba waved from Cody’s lap, oblivious to the somber mood, “Hi Daddy!”_

_“Hey kid, good morning to you.” Jango wiped the remaining blood off his hands before coming over and hefting Boba into his arms, “Are you having breakfast?”_

_“Breakfast,” Boba repeated._

_“That’s what I like to hear,” Jango cracked a strained smile and placed a kiss in Boba’s curls as he faced the twins. “I’m gonna get Casey fixed up and then I’ll be back out, okay?”_

_“Why’s he asleep?” Fives asked. “Is he sick?”_

_“He’s just tired, don’t let the blood scare you, it’s nothing bad.” Jango pinched Boba’s stomach to make him laugh before handing him back to Cody and going stiff again. “The three of you need to eat, I know it’s hard.”_

_Cody stared blankly at the kitchen door while bouncing his knee to keep Boba from getting too fussy. His father hadn’t looked him in the eyes for the entire exchange, the sunlight coming in from the window above them felt fake._

◊◊

The Earl’s jacket was black, and the fabric was expensive. His vest looked to be made of silk and he was sitting directly across from Cody, there wasn’t even a candle or wine bottle to block the view. 

His friendship with the Organas was obviously a very close one, they talked about stories from decades ago and poked fun at each other with absolutely no hesitation. They made an effort to keep Cody involved in the conversation, but Rex was busy alternating between a rousing debate on the complexities of the newest Wren painting with Leia, and a shouted description of Eggy the horse’s diet from Luke.

The information being tossed around was nothing that Cody found particularly useful, though some of it, such as Lord Organa’s courting rituals with his wife, was entertaining. Apparently he’d spent so long trying to prove himself that it was she who first proposed marriage, declaring that it was obvious to everyone except him that they were in love.

Once Lord Organa had composed himself following the Earl’s vibrant description of a particularly petty fencing match, he raised his glass to Cody. “And what about you, Commander? Were you ever interested in sports as a young man?”

“Had a boxing phase,” Cody shrugged. “I wasn’t half bad, but my father wasn’t very approving of the choice, haven’t been in the ring for a while.”

“Boxing, now who does that remind me of?” 

“Oh no,” Kenobi wilted as he reached for his wine glass. “Are we really going to talk about this at dinner?”

Lord Organa raised an eyebrow at Luke who had suddenly become very interested in the conversation. “I’ll leave you be for now, but after we’ve opened the whiskey later tonight, I can’t make any promises.”

Cody hid his interest well, but he’d become embarrassingly desperate to know what had transpired in town that day. He knew from the letter he’d read that a livelier side to the Earl did exist, but he still couldn’t imagine the man losing his temper, let alone throwing a punch.

“Commander Fett, I’m a boxer too,” Luke waved a hand from across the table. “Look I can do it like this.”

Lord Kenobi lunged to his right and grabbed Luke’s water glass before it could be punched into oblivion. “No, we are _not_ doing that at the dinner table, absolutely not.”

“That’s not how you throw a punch,” Leia remarked, looking to Cody for confirmation. “You’re supposed to use your torso.”

“Darling,” Lady Organa warned. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Leia ignored her coolly. “You’re going to hurt your shoulder if you continue like that.”

Luke frowned. “What’s a torso?”

“It’s your stomach,” Kenobi muttered. “Please finish your dinner.”

“I can’t use my stomach when I’m punching! That’s stupid.”

Leia’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not stupid, it’s proper form.”

Cody saw what was coming, and he could read the panic on Rex’s face as well, but it wasn’t their place to intervene.

“Not for me,” Luke argued, demonstrating his superior punching method a second time. “See? That was perfect.”

Leia shook her head. “That was horrible.” 

“Leia,” Lord Organa raised a finger. “We’re moving on.”

Kenobi nodded. “Did you hear that, Luke? We’re done with boxing for the night.”

“Okay.” Luke glared across the table, weighing his options, “But Leia’s wrong.”

Lady Organa saw what was happening first, but even she was too late to stop the inevitable. “No!”

The asparagus that had formerly been on Leia’s plate hit Luke in the face with a surprisingly loud slap, and the table erupted into anarchy.

◊◊

“I hate to say it-no,” Lord Kenobi hid face in the crook of his arm as he laughed. “I really do hate to say it, but I think he had it coming.”

Despite her own grin, Lady Organa slapped her husband’s arm for laughing along. “There’s still no excuse, I don’t know why she gets like that. Imagine if she had hit Obi-Wan!”

“Oh I wasn’t worried about that,” Kenobi assured. “Her aim is impeccable.”

Luke had not gone down as easily, but Leia had accepted her sentence of an early bedtime with her head held high. With the children put away for the night and Artoo called in for damage control, the evening had moved to the parlor where Lord Kenobi was already on his second glass of whiskey. He’d also had a glass and a half of wine with dinner, Cody was counting, timing his questions.

“Captain, you were sitting right next to her,” Cody pointed out. “Why didn’t you do anything to save him?”

Rex shrunk back as the attention of the room hit him in full force. “I mean, I would have, and-hold on, and that’s not to say that I-”

“Don’t listen to your brother, she did what she had to,” Kenobi laughed. “You were as much an innocent bystander as the rest of us.”

Lord Organa swung an arm over the Earl’s shoulder. “Speaking of violent crime-”

“Oh here we go,” Kenobi groaned. “I better get this over with before you tie me down and start an interrogation.” 

“Can you blame us? Commander, don’t you want to hear about the Earl of Khyber starting a street fight?”

Cody smiled and looked to Kenobi for permission. “If the Earl is willing to share such incriminating information.”

Lord Kenobi wasn’t drunk in a messy way yet, he held his alcohol well. His cheeks had turned rosy and he’d loosened up, but he was holding together just fine. “Very well,” he tipped his chin up and pulled his tie loose. “But it’s not the epic tale you’re all expecting.”

Lady Organa raised her glass. “As long as it ends with you knocking that scrub down, I’ll be happy.”

Once his tie was off, Kenobi popped the top button of his shirt open and looked straight at Cody. “I should give some backstory first, I don’t think you know who we’re talking about.”

“Um, no.” Cody’s mouth was dry, he took a swig of brandy. “I don’t think I do.”

“Well, about twenty years ago, the hottest name in fencing was a very talented man named Maul Opress. His mother’s a Countess or something, I’m not really sure.”

Cody nodded along as a knot formed in his stomach. The name Maul was making him think about Lord Kenobi’s letter, and the letter was making him think about Vos, and kilts, and everything.

“Anyway, I never had much trouble with him in our matches, and for some reason he took that…” Kenobi glanced at Lord Organa who was already cracking a smile. “Personally.”

“Personally?” Lady Organa shook her head. “He went absolutely mad; you were the only thing he talked about for years.”

Kenobi shrugged her off. “He was more of a nuisance than anything else. Sometimes I wish he would have just accepted his feelings for me,” he laughed. “Would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.”

Lady Organa hummed her agreement. “I think we all know why he hated Satine so much.”

Cody did not see the appeal of such humor. “And he’s here in town?”

“Unfortunately,” Lord Organa sighed. “We didn’t send him an invitation, but he must have come as someone’s guest. I’m sure you’ll see him at the races, he’s a Zabrak, tattoos all over, very hard to miss.”

“I’ll keep my guard up.”

“You should. And, right, as I was saying, there’s not much to tell.” Kenobi drowned the last of his whisky and went to pour himself a third. “I had Luke with me in the cobblers, and then I saw him waiting for us when I left the shop. So we got to talking of course and, to my credit, I really did try to keep things civil.”

“You always do, don’t worry.” Lord Organa leaned in with a smirk. “But what was it this time? Cheating allegations? Another speech about how maliciously you sabotaged his career?”

“Of course,” Kenobi grumbled with a roll of his eyes. “He hasn’t changed a bit. I should have just ignored him, but he was using such vulgar language in front of Luke, I had to ask him to stop.”

Cody knew immediately that Kenobi was lying. He had to assume that it was because he and Rex were there, but it was still odd.

Lady Organa waved off the Earl’s humility. “You did the right thing. If that man comes within ten meters of Leia, I’m setting Artoo on him, I mean that.”

“I appreciate the support,” Kenobi’s smile was dishonest as well. “But really, I shouldn’t have lost my temper in front of Luke, it’s the only thing he’s going to talk about for weeks.”

Cody stopped listening after that, he didn’t care about whatever falsified version of events the Earl was feeding them, he had a job to do.

◊◊

The night wore on and Lord Kenobi kept drinking. The bright flush in his cheeks turned into a painful red, he wasn’t as quick with his words, it was a slow descent. Cody took it all in from his seat next to Rex and he wished for the thousandth time that day that Kenobi had not called him his friend. 

A part of him was angry that Organas weren’t doing something about it, even if it would’ve ruined his plans. But they were buzzed and getting tired, they had themselves to worry about, everything went as planned.

“We’ll have to do this again,” Lord Organa hooked an arm around his wife’s waist and reached for Cody’s hand. “I’m sorry it took so long to finally get acquainted.”

Cody stood and accepted the handshake, bowing his head to the Lady, “It was worth the wait, and thank you again, for dinner, for everything.”

“You’re welcome, and I hope we see each other at the festivities this week.”

“I’ll be there,” he smiled at Rex.

“Me too,” Rex filled in quickly. “Can’t wait.”

“Fantastic, and on that note, I think it’s time we bid a goodnight to you gentlemen.” Lord Organa turned around before heading to the door. “Obi-Wan, are you staying, or should I send Mary in to clean up?”

Kenobi rose to his feet and swayed in place for a moment, bracing a hand against the armrest of his seat. Cody glanced away out of some backward sense of courtesy; he knew exactly how sickening that first rush of blood to the head could feel after drinking as much as he had.

“No, I’m,” Kenobi blinked hard, steadying himself. “I’m going up, I’ll just be a moment.”

“Alright, we’ll see you tomorrow then,” Lord Organa gave a final nod to Cody and Rex, and then he was leaving as though nothing were wrong. “And goodnight, I hope Luke recovers from his attack.”

Kenobi laughed but it was uneven, sick.

Cody waited until the Organas were gone and then slid his eyes over to Rex, _I’ve got it from here._

_Should I follow?_

He shook his head minutely, _I’ll be fine,_ _I do this all the time._

Empty glasses clinked together in chorus as Kenobi stumbled past the coffee table, “Do you know what time it is, Commander?”

Rex was already halfway out the door. Cody squinted at the clock. “It’s almost twelve, my Lord.”

“Damn, I’m going to be a wreck tomorrow,” Kenobi laughed again, tipping his head back as he knocked into the row of chairs in front of him. “I’m supposed to take Luke for a picnic or-I don’t know, a walkabout or something, so he could see the hills.”

Cody could feel the same guilt from the day before bleeding into his chest. Kenobi didn’t look well, he deserved someone who was actually trying to take care of him. “You should probably head to bed then, that’s what I’m doing.”

“Commander, what’s your name again?” Kenobi made it past the chairs and walked right up with no invitation. “I remember Fett, but-”

“Cody.”

“Right! Commander Cody, I think everyone should call you that.”

“My Lord,” Cody reached out and hovered a hand beside the Earl’s shoulder. “I think you should go to bed now; I can walk you back to your room if you like.”

Kenobi smiled unevenly and leaned into Cody’s hand, “Why not yours?”

It was an odd question; Cody was thrown for a second. “I…appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I need any help getting back to my room.”

Kenobi cocked his head in confusion, but his smile didn’t fade.

“Now, if I may,” Cody secured a grip on Kenobi’s arm and began guiding him to the door. “Do you remember which way your room is? Is it on this floor?”

“To the right I think, up some stairs, I don’t know, it’ll come back to me.”

Cody led them out into the hallway and took a sharp right, ignoring Mary who was waiting for them. Kenobi was more of a mess than he looked, and Cody wanted this over fast. He couldn’t imagine how he’d ever used to find drunks funny, now they just made his skin crawl.

“Commander Cody, can I tell you something?”

Cody linked their arms together for better maneuverability and kept his eyes forward. “Is it these stairs?”

“You can’t tell Bail, he’ll be-”

“Fine, but first,” he pointed up the staircase. “Is this the way to your bedroom?”

Kenobi stared half-lidded into the darkness for far too long. “No, it’s the one with green, ah, green carpeting on the steps.”

Cody suppressed a sigh and resumed their trek.

“But what I was saying was that-” Kenobi’s head rolled back and he laughed. “What I wanted to tell you is that I wasn’t giving the whole truth about my run-in with Maul. I wouldn’t hit him over some bullshit about fencing, I don’t give a _fuck_ about that anymore.”

Cody winced, the Earl was already talking too loud, they didn’t need curses being thrown into the mix.

“But that’s just what I wanted Bail to think, he’d be furious if he knew what really went on.”

There was green carpeting on the staircase to their left, Cody didn’t even bother asking before dragging Kenobi up the first step.

“I can tell you though, you don’t have any idea what’s going on.”

Kenobi’s foot caught on the second step and he tripped forward, forcing Cody to reach out and pull him back up. He seemed to think it was hilarious and ended up following the momentum all the way into Cody’s chest where he landed his forehead.

Cody’s back went into the wall and his head bumped the corner of a painting, “Shit.” Kenobi’s head was heavy and he was still laughing, he smelled like alcohol. “Please, my Lord, we have to get you to bed.”

Kenobi rolled his head back up and braced himself against the wall, trapping Cody in front of him. “Do you know why I knocked him down, Commander? Cody?”

“I don’t,” Cody didn’t panic, the Earl was barely holding himself up, he wasn’t any threat.

Kenobi dropped his voice down to a stage whisper. “It’s because he knew Luke’s father.”

Cody didn’t react as Kenobi dissolved into laughter yet again. He knew it was probably in his best interest to try and shake as much personal information out of the Earl as he could, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to find Kenobi’s bedroom and put him to sleep.

“So if he’s going to find the nerve to talk to me about Anakin, then I think I have the right to punch him in the face.”

Cody ducked his head down and pivoted, securing Kenobi’s arm over his shoulders as he started back up the stairs. “I’m sure you did.”

“That bastard, calling me a fucking nursery maid.” Kenobi turned his head and spoke directly into the side of Cody’s face. “I mean, I didn’t wait almost five years to see my nephew just to get spit on by Maul Opress. Who does he think he is?”

“I’m sorry,” Cody said. “That sounds very upsetting.”

“And it’s just – I don’t mind, I love being an Uncle, I was excited when I heard they were having a child.” Kenobi’s words were slurring together in a way that set Cody’s teeth on edge. “So I probably wouldn’t have cared if he just wanted to talk about me, but not Anakin, and not fucking Luke, I don’t need to hear that, not from him.”

They reached the top of the stairs and Cody paused on the landing to catch his breath. The silence of the darkened hallway crowded in around them as they waited, and Kenobi dropped his face down to Cody’s shoulder, his laughter fading out. “You know, I’m not even sure where Anakin is, he could be dead for all I’m aware.”

It felt like a gunshot in an empty alleyway. It was quiet before, but now that quiet was hollow, the echo of something bad. Cody closed his eyes and tried to remember how any of this was going to help Boba. “Which way is your bedroom?” he whispered.

Kenobi peeled his face off Cody’s shoulder and gestured to his left. “I think that’s it, the one with the brass doorknob.”

Cody adjusted his grip around the Earl’s waist and all but carried him towards his goal. He was only ever after people’s money, he hated cracking them open like this, he never liked what he found.

“It’s locked, I have-somewhere in my coat-I think,” Kenobi slumped forward into the door as Cody rattled the doorknob. “Oh, there it is,” he pulled a silver key from a pocket deep inside his coat and jabbed it aimlessly into the lock.

“I got it,” Cody muttered. “It’s okay.” He took control of the key and turned till the door clicked. It was a reinforced lock, but not something Rex would have any trouble with.

Kenobi’s arm went back around Cody’s shoulders and they stumbled into the pitch-black room together. It was smaller than Cody had been expecting, but the window had a nice view, the rolling hills outside were the only detail he could make out through the shadows.

“I probably shouldn’t have said that,” Kenobi chuckled. “I think I ruined the mood.”

“Didn’t ruin anything, just stay here,” Cody dumped him onto the bed and began feeling around for matches. It felt wrong to leave him there in the dark with his dinner coat on, he was going to feel bad enough when woke up, he should at least be lying comfortably.

“That’s good, that’s really good, because I don’t want to scare you off. I know I said that before, but I mean it.”

The candle sparked and then the flame crackled to life. Cody moved the light to the bedside table and went back to tug at Lord Kenobi’s sleeves. “You’re not. Now let’s get you out of this, you’ll thank me later.”

“I can thank you right now.”

“I can wait.” Cody shoved the rest of the coat off and tossed it to the foot of the bed. Without thinking twice, he dropped to his knees and got to work on the laces of Kenobi’s boots. He was apologizing, he was keeping his head down and pulling the Earls shoes off and saying, _I swear I have a good reason for the things I do, I swear, I swear._

“Commander.” 

Cody tipped his head up and Kenobi was looking down on him with reverence he’d never deserve in a thousand lifetimes. The shadows on his face were deep in the candlelight and he looked old, and drunk, and then his hand was on Cody’s face. His palm was warm, the tips of his fingers were cold, he was being so gentle.

Cody pulled away and it felt like he’d been cut in half.

“What’s wrong?”

He scrambled to his feet and pushed Kenobi’s shoulder back, “You should lie down, it’s late.”

“Cody-”

“Please.”

“Aren’t you going to stay?”

He blew the candle out, “Goodnight, my Lord.”

Whatever the Earl did after that was his business. Cody left without looking back and without breathing. He closed the door and heard it lock, he lifted his arm and pressed his face into the sleeve of his coat and tried to sob as quietly as possible.

He didn’t like Saltcoats, he wanted to leave.

He wished Kenobi hadn’t mentioned his brother because now all he could think of was Waxer who died and Boba who was going to die and Fives who could be anywhere. Could be dead. He also wished Kenobi hadn’t touched his face like that, he hated it.

He wasn’t crying; it was more just gasping for air and hiding his face from the empty hallway. It was ugly though, he felt ugly and he felt like thirty-five was the oldest anyone had ever been and he was dying.

There were footsteps on the stairs, fast, light.

Cody’s head shot up and he swiped at his face.

A figure rounded the top of the landing and they were running, “I knew it.”

There was no time to register anything that was happening, someone hit him in the gut. He doubled over and their knee went into his face. Pain bloomed from his cheekbone but he was too winded from the initial hit to cry out.

They landed another strong kick and he fell backward, catching himself on his elbows as they straddled him. “Don’t try anything.”

“Fuck-” he froze, the cool sting of a blade pressed into his neck, just below his jawline.

Ahsoka leaned in, her lip raised in a snarl, “I told him there was something up with you, old man’s gotta learn to trust me.”

“What are you-?” Cody coughed, she smelled strongly of horses and his stomach was still recovering from the hit.

“I’m asking the questions,” she flipped the blade over to its dull side and pressed down hard. “So, what’d you do to him? If I go in there am I gonna find a body?”

“What? No!”

“Don’t act like that, I’ve seen the way you look at him, _Commander_. You’re after those diamonds, aren’t you?” She smirked, “Good luck.”

Cody jerked his knee up and hit her in the back, pushing her forward and allowing the knife to slip from his neck and onto the floor. Before she could readjust, he grit his teeth and swung his fist into the soft spot below her ribcage. It would have knocked her down, but he was still on his back so the momentum was off, and all it did was anger her.

“That better not be all you got,” she spit, tightening her knees around his chest and closing thin fingers around his throat. “I’m not done with you.”

He threw both arms over hers and pressed down until her elbow buckled and the grip on his throat was lost. The knife came back around towards his head, but she was light enough that he could roll slightly to the side and force her to miss. “Stop,” he rasped. “Fuck, stop.”

She dropped the knife in favor of pinning his hands down, she was strong, Rex was right again. “I’ll kill you if I want to, struggling isn’t going to change a thing. Now talk.”

“About what? My God, have you lost your mind?”

“Don’t!” She slammed his wrists into the floor, “What were you doing in Obi-Wan’s bedroom?”

He considered fighting back a second time, but if this was something he could talk his way out of, he would. “He was drunk, I helped him back to his room.”

“That sounds very convenient.”

“We were at dinner together; I was being nice.”

Her montrals twitched back as she glanced at the door, “You drugged him?”

Cody relaxed the muscles in his stomach and stared up at the ceiling, willing his breathing back to normal. “I took his coat off and put him to bed.”

Her eyes went narrow, “So why hasn’t he heard us?”

“I don’t know,” Cody admitted. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing in the hallway. “He’s probably passed out; he was in bad shape.”

She jumped off, snatching her knife back up and pointing it at him. “Don’t go anywhere, I’m faster than you.”

He stayed down until her back was turned and she was busy unlocking the door. Nothing was broken, but his ribs were sore and the tender spot on his cheekbone would bruise. He didn’t like that she had mentioned the diamonds, but she had nothing on him for the time being, there was no cause for panic. “You can try to wake him up if you want, he’ll tell you the same thing.”

It was a long five minutes of sitting on his ass and listening to Ahsoka search through the Earl’s room. The first thing he managed to take in as his mind cleared was the still-lingering smell of horses and dirt. There was dry mud on his vest where he’d been kicked, she’d been in the stables.

It was interesting that she’d mentioned being suspicious of him from the start, he'd felt the same way, and as it turned out, they were both right.

Ahsoka’s footsteps returned, and when she appeared in the doorway, she was silent.

Cody put his hands up in surrender, “Still going to kill me?”

She stepped out into the hallway and closed the door carefully. When she spoke she kept her forehead rested against the carved wood and didn’t face him. “Did you…really just walk him back to his room?”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, but you were a little too busy threatening my life to listen.”

“Shit,” she threw her knife at the floor and it sunk two inches into the Organa’s polished hardwood. “Oh my God, what did I just do?”

Cody almost laughed as he staggered to his feet, “You pulled a knife on me, Miss Tano.”

“Please, oh my-Commander,” she threw herself at his feet, her hands pressed together in prayer. “Before you report me, which – you should, I just assaulted you, and you’re a veteran, and that’s horrible – and don’t mean the veteran part I mean that I attacked you-”

“I got that.”

“Please, please, just hear me out, oh,” she sunk her face into her hands and moaned her sorrow. “I’m gonna be arrested in Scotland, I can’t believe this.”

It was hard to believe she was the same knife-wielding assassin who’d been trying to slice him open only minutes ago, but with the way Cody’s night was going, he wasn’t surprised. “Well, you haven’t been arrested yet.”

“Please, I’m only nineteen, I don’t want to go to jail.”

“I’m not sending you to jail,” he sighed. Her groveling was getting awkward. “Stand up, just talk to me.”

She obeyed him immediately and jumped to her feet, “I can explain – mostly. Or, I had a reason to do that. I probably should have waited but I got so scared when Mary said he was acting strange and-”

“Slow down, Christ.” He knew the maids would talk; he’d have to be more careful next time.

“Okay, okay.” She stepped back and took enough deep breaths that the ends of her lekku stopped twitching at such an erratic rate. Her hands were shaking when she turned back to him, but the panic attack had been averted. “I am, _so_ sorry.”

Cody nodded, unimpressed. “Yeah thanks, who are you?”

“My name really is Ahsoka, but I did lie, I’m not a governess.”

“Imagine that.”

“No but I’m not just some maniac either, I’m-” she groaned. “Oh, I’m not supposed to tell you – no, I’m gonna tell you, you deserve to hear it, I just broke your rib.”

“You didn’t break my rib.”

“Really? Okay, that’s good.” A smile flickered across her face, and then disappeared just as quickly. “So, I’m actually a bodyguard, kind of.” She grimaced, “I’m here to protect Luke, and…others.”

It was the answer he’d been expecting, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “ _You_ are the personal bodyguard of a five-year-old and the Earl of Khyber?”

“Yes, mostly Luke though.”

“And you attacked me because…?”

“Because I thought you were after Obi-Wan.” Her head fell forward and she pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes. “God, this has never happened before, I was so sure.”

She was good, no one had ever come this close to figuring him out, especially not in three days flat. “Why’s that?”

“Well you – and I don’t mean this in a bad way…anymore,” she amended. “But you and your brother just showed up out of nowhere, Rex doesn’t act like any officer I’ve ever met, and you, I mean, you were so obviously trying to get Obi-Wan alone. I even thought you’d stolen his wallet just to go on a walk with him.”

“Why would I steal his wallet?”

“The _diamonds_ ,” she sighed. “It’s all anyone knows about him; you wouldn’t believe how many break-ins he deals with every year.”

Cody felt like he’d just watched a train barrel past only an inch away from his nose. And yet, instead of scaring him, the close shave was somehow lifting his spirits, it was like he’d already gotten away with the crime. “It must be awful, but I’m sorry to say, I’m not here to make it worse.”

“I see that now,” she crumpled. “But honestly, Commander, please believe me,” she wrung her hands in his face. “I only acted so despicably because I was worried about Obi-Wan, it was out of love, I can make it up to you.”

“How’s that?”

“Anything, I don’t know, do you have an enemy? I could take care of them for you. Or, maybe a lady you’re trying to impress? I could talk to her for you, I’m great with women, they’d believe anything I say about you.”

“What-no-”

“A man?”

“What?”

“If there’s a man you’re-”

“No,” he waved his hands, she’d lost him. “Don’t do anything, and I’m not sending you to jail, so, stop.”

She froze, eyeing him carefully. “What…are you going to do to me then?”

“Nothing! Nothing,” he sighed and slumped back into the wall, he wondered if the Earl was hearing any of this. “I’m tired, and my face is bruised, but you’re nineteen, and there’s nothing wrong with being worried about people you care about, you’ve just got to be more careful.”

She said nothing, clearly still awaiting some kind of death sentence.

“That’s it, we’re not going to talk about it,” he shrugged. “Although, if I find myself in need of a favor that requires excessive violence, I’ll know who to go to.”

She laughed nervously. “I’m-I’m back to being suspicious. You’re an officer, I’m an American and I just assaulted you, why-”

“Because I’m not sending anyone to jail.”

“Oh.” She blinked, “That’s very kind…thank you.” Her eyes widened, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.” She wasn’t a bad ally to have, only cost him a knife to the throat, he’d dealt with worse. “Don’t do that again.”

“No, I wouldn’t – believe me, you and your brother are under my protection now too, Commander.” She bowed awkwardly before running back to pry her knife out of the floorboards. “If anyone is giving you trouble, just let me know, I’ll be there.”

“Noted.”

“I mean it, I’ve taken down men three times my size.”

“That’s terrifying, good to know.”

“Okay,” she winced, “I’ll stop, I’m just going to check on him again.”

He pushed himself off the wall and saluted half-heartedly, “Give him my best.”

“I will, thank you,” she bowed again. “Thank you so, so much, Commander, I owe you my life. I’m sorry about your ribs, and your face.”

“I’ll live.”

◊◊

_Cody didn’t leave the house, none of them could._

_Three days passed and Rex turned seventeen. Boil didn’t leave his room except to use the bathroom or sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night. Waxer stayed dead; three days passed._

_“You can’t be serious,” Fox whispered. “What if they hang you?”_

_“We didn’t kill any guards, and we didn’t get away with any money, I won’t hang.”_

_“Fine, but how’re twenty years in prison any better?”_

_“How’re twenty years of this?” Cody hissed, ignoring Boba’s sticky hand on his cheek. “Scotland Yard’s already got my face, they’ll arrest any one of us, what happens if they go after Dad?”_

_Boba hummed in Cody’s arms and drummed his chest._

_“Yeah,” Cody agreed. “Dad, right? You like Dada?”_

_Fox rolled his eyes, “Come on, don’t talk to him.”_

_“He doesn’t know what we’re saying.”_

_“It’s just wrong, you know what I mean.”_

_They didn’t generally involve Boba in their 2 am whispered arguments in the kitchen, but he’d been making too much noise, and if their father woke up it’d be hell to pay._

_Cody walked Boba in a circle and pretended not to see Fox glaring at him. His mind was already made up, no amount of moaning would make a difference. “I’m doing it, if not tomorrow, then Monday.”_

_“Do you realize how selfish that is?”_

_“No, I don’t.”_

_“How do you-” Fox tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. “How is losing you gonna be any better for those kids than losing Dad?”_

_Cody almost laughed. “I’ll be doing them a favor, no one in this house can even look at me.”_

_“So you’re gonna turn yourself in and die in prison, that’s your solution?”_

_“Hi, hi,” Boba tugged at Cody’s ear. “Hi, hi, hi.”_

_“Hey buddy,” Cody smiled and turned away from Fox. “Hey, Boba, hi.”_

_“Breakfast.”_

_“Nah, not for a while, sorry.”_

_“Unbelievable,” Fox muttered. “Fucking unbelievable, Charlie.”_

◊◊

Cody slept like the dead, and for once, he did not dream of guns or shackles or dead bodies in the street. He dreamed of roses, and then the kitchen where he used to cook with his Father.

He woke up with a bruised face and purple ribs. He was still able to dress himself without much discomfort, and he kicked his feet up as he filled Rex in on the Ahsoka situation over breakfast.

Threepio came to find them and discreetly informed him that the Earl was hoping to speak to him that night, if he was available.

Cody was available.

He suggested to Rex that they wait a day or two before searching the stables or the Earl’s bedroom. He knew his brother was eager to get started, but the threat of Ahsoka descending on them from above was enough to keep him from getting restless, and he agreed.

Cody spent the entire day falling until he landed hard in the doorway to a small sitting room with a window that reached from the floor to the ceiling. He was early, and he could see the Earl outside, leaned over the balcony with his head hanging down.

Waiting for an invitation would have taken ages, Cody walked to the window and stepped through.

“Oh,” Kenobi turned around at the sound, the wind had played with his hair and there were dark spots under his eyes. “You’re early.”

“I know what you’re going to say.”

Kenobi raised his eyebrows in surprise, grass rustled far below them in the silence. “I’m sorry?”

“I know what you’re going to say,” Cody repeated, and it wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t going to lie this time. “And I’m telling you that you don’t need to.”

The sky and everything around them had turned yellow in the sunset. Even the Earl’s hair, even his eyes.

“I know that you’re embarrassed, and that you want to tell me that you got carried away, and I was very nice to take care of you, but that I should never have to do that again. I know.”

“Commander, I don’t-”

“But it’s okay, I understand. I won’t repeat anything that you said to me, and I don’t think any less of you.”

The job would be impossible to do with all the guilt he’d bottled up over the letters and the alcohol and the missing brother Anakin. He’d get even, and then everything would be easy.

Cody walked up to Lord Kenobi and he didn’t reach out and touch him, but he wanted to. “My brother died five years ago, he was nineteen, it was an accident.”

“I’m sorry,” Kenobi whispered.

“So am I.” Cody’s heartbeat was in his throat, he didn’t know if it was fear or not. He had to speak fast to get it all out in time, “I hid myself away for a long time, and I’ve been sitting on a barstool for the past two years. I don’t know which method works better.”

Kenobi did what Cody couldn’t and joined their hands. His touch was soft, just like it had been the night before.

“I think I like drinking more, but I don’t like what it does to me.” Cody tightened his grip without meaning to. “So, I’m sorry about that man in town, and I’m sorry about your brother, but you don’t need to apologize to me. It was no trouble to make sure you got to bed alright, and I’d do it again.” His shoulders collapsed and he allowed himself to look away at last, he’d done his penance. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

The blood rush in his ears was brutal, he was thinking of Waxer again, and that was hard. It was always hard. He fought through it on his own, but it did help to have Kenobi’s warm hand in his, even if he was another grown man, it helped.

Kenobi waited patiently as the tension wound down, didn’t say a word, and didn’t drop his hand until Cody was breathing steadily again.

The air cleared, and it was a beautiful night, even the breeze was warm. They had a nice view of the stables and the lagoon beyond it, it was easy to get lost, but then the quiet stretched on a beat too long, and Cody smiled as his ears began to heat. “Is there uh, anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Kenobi shook his head, his eyes going bright again. “Nothing urgent.”

Cody nodded, he felt better.

“I was going to take a walk in the garden before bed.”

“That’ll be nice.”

Kenobi’s smile was crooked, he leaned in just a touch. “Would you like to join me?”

“Oh,” the bruise on Cody’s cheek ached when he laughed. “I would, actually. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ: I am a white author and my depiction of a Māori man in imperialist military attire was insensitive, especially given the [New Zealand Wars](https://teara.govt.nz/en/history/page-4) going on in this time period. 
> 
> You can read more about the situation/my full apology [Here](https://cafffine.tumblr.com/post/642551253464989696/please-dont-feel-theres-a-need-to-respond-to). 
> 
> For now I am going to leave past depictions unedited b/c covering up my mistakes feels dishonest, though please message me on tumblr @cafffine if you have something to add, my ask box/anon is always open, thanks!
> 
> -
> 
> Oh Ahsoka, you were so close 😔
> 
> I really do love reading all of your comments, especially when so many of you are making correct predictions!! So exciting!! Love all of you!! 😭💘 💘


	5. Not Yet Enjoyed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn this chapter got out late, you wanna know why? I really thought I could give myself one day to write a scene with seven people in it?? Hello?? 
> 
> Little announcement!! - Sorry, its not...good news. Ch6 will be out late, probably two weeks from now? Because I have to switch gears and grind a little on my piece for swbigbang. BUT don't worry, I'm SO excited for the next chapter and this fic is literally all I think about, I'm not going anywhere lol
> 
> Thank you to @beanabouttown, @kitcatkim, and @cillyscribbles (tumblr handles) for beta reading!!

_Cody wouldn’t be needing his coat anymore, so he left it in his room for Fox, or maybe Rex when he got bigger. Without it, the walk to the station was freezing and he was shivering by the time he pushed the door open and stepped inside._

_He stood quietly in the doorway until one of the officers frowned his way. “Do we look like a charity to you?”_

_“I’m here to turn myself in.”_

_The officer laughed and nudged his counterpart. “Got another drunk.”_

_Cody stepped farther into the room and rubbed his hands together, trying to get a bit of feeling back. “I’m not drunk.”_

_“Yeah?” The officer snorted and crossed his arms, “You here to make friends then?”_

_“No, I’m turning myself in, like I said.”_

_The other three officers had stopped their conversation, throwing the small lobby into silence and letting the echoes of the holding cells down the hall take center stage._

_“Alright,” the first officer nodded, still smirking. “So, what’d you do? Bend over for one of the boys at the rugby club? You here for more?”_

_Cody waited patiently as laughter erupted around him. He’d entered a blind state of calm that left him impervious to their immaturity. He was thinking only of his father who would be waking up in an hour or so. He’d likely be the first to find Cody’s letter, it was on the dinner table._

_“Or are you one of them freaks who can only get it up if we put a pair of handcuffs on you? You like getting tied up?”_

_“No,” Cody said. “I robbed the bank on Southampton five days ago.”_

_The laughter trailed off abruptly as smiles fell from the faces of the officers. The one who’d been taunting Cody raised his baton and pointed, his voice an octave lower. “What’d you just say?”_

_Cody rolled his shoulders; he was warming back up. “The body you recovered was my brother, and it was me firing from behind the wagon. You can get any of the guards from the scene, they’ll recognize my face.”_

_“Oi, watch it,” the officer growled. “That’s not somethin’ to be kidding around about.”_

_“There were others with me,” Cody continued evenly. “But it was me who planned the robbery, and my idea to go after the vault.”_

_The other men in the room began throwing each other nervous glances, a drunk shouted from his holding cell and the sound bounced from wall to wall uninterrupted._

_“I’m unarmed, and I’ll plead guilty to anything you charge me with.” Cody held his wrists out. “Congratulations, I’m all yours.”_

◊◊

“I’m actually done with Luke. I read to him for a while but he had a long day, he kept nodding off.” Lord Kenobi tipped his chin to the door. “So if you wanted to go for another walk, I’m all yours.”

Cody did want to go for another walk. He did want to spend another evening walking in circles among trimmed rose bushes as mossy statues while talking about absolutely nothing. He wanted it so bad it made him sick, but he’d made plans with Rex, and that had to come first. “I wish I could, but I’m heading to bed early tonight.”

Kenobi looked disappointed for only a second before he was smiling pleasantly again. “That’s a good idea, big day tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m glad someone is.” 

Cody raised an eyebrow. “Having second thoughts?”

“No, sorry,” Kenobi sighed. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful; I am excited to see everyone, but…”

“But all at once?” Cody offered.

Kenobi hummed and crossed his arms tight across his chest. “All at once.”

Cody wished he had something encouraging to say, but he’d unfortunately seen firsthand how unruly the crowd could be at large events like this one. Too many people with too much money, never a good combination. “You’ll be happy to have Luke with you, you can always make the excuse that he needs to eat or go to bed if you want to get out of a situation.”

“That’s a good point,” Kenobi laughed. “I’ll be using that one.”

Cody bit his smile into his cheek and waited for the swelling in his chest to go down. In the days since the dinner debacle his relationship with Kenobi had changed, they were less formal with each other now and Cody was getting used to hearing his quiet laugh. The guilt was still there, but it was in the background now, only visible if wanted to see it.

“Right, well I don’t mean to distract you,” Kenobi dropped his arms and began straightening himself out. “Thank you for keeping Luke busy this morning, I should tell you, he’s completely enamored with you and your brother.”

“Any time, he’s a fine gentleman.”

“Oh, and come find me tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to my-ah,” Kenobi’s smile was almost playful. “To a few of my old friends, I think they’ll like you.”

“Thank you, I’ll try not to disappoint.”

Kenobi turned his back, heading for the door. “You won’t.”

Cody hated how badly he wanted to go on that walk.

“Goodnight, Commander. Rest well.”

“Goodnight, I’ll see you-yes, thank you, you as well,” Cody winced. “Goodnight.”

◊◊

Rex pulled a black linen shirt over his head and pointed to the matching one on the floor. “Come on, you too, everyone’ll see us if you keep that white thing on.”

“You know, every time I say ‘goodnight’, or ‘goodbye’ to him, it ends up being awkward,” Cody shook his head as he stared blankly out the window. “Everything else is fine, we’re getting along, he’s calling me his friend, but then…” he sighed. “The goodbye, every time, I don’t know what it is.”

“Um,” Rex hesitated. “Okay? Don’t know what you want me to do about that.”

“It’s just strange! Should I be bowing? I don’t think he likes that, but-”

“It’s a tragedy, now get changed.” Rex tossed the shirt at Cody’s head. “No one cares that you can’t finish.”

“Shut up,” Cody stepped away from the window to glower at his brother. “Who else am I supposed to talk to about problems like this?”

“Sorry, I’m not the one that’s been chasing him around the garden for the past three days, that’s your problem.”

Cody forced his arms through the black sleeves and flipped Rex off as his hands emerged on the other side. “Whatever, let’s get this over with, I don’t want to be in bed too late.”

“Oh, _now_ you’re in a hurry.”

“Yeah, now I’m in a hurry, let’s go.”

Rex rolled his eyes and folded a black knit cap over his head, concealing the blond from any watchful eyes.

“There’s a lot of people coming over tomorrow, I know you’re gonna be busy, but you might want to stop by for longer than a few minutes.” Cody dropped to his knees and began pulling on a pair of workers’ boots, an extra precaution in case they left footprints. “Kenobi’s offered to introduce me to some of his old friends, and-I mean, he didn’t say anything about you-”

“Why would I want to meet his friends?” Rex asked, his exasperation mounting. “Can you focus, please?”

“I am focused, Christ. All I’ve done is talk about the job.”

“All you’ve done is talk about him.” Rex cracked the door open and peered out down the candle-lit hallway. “We’re still in the clear, I say we make a run for it, are you ready yet?”

Cody lowered his voice to a whisper but retained every bit of his annoyance. “Are you?”

“I’ve been ready for a fucking hour you stupid-hey!”

Cody pushed Rex out the door with more force than was necessary and raised a finger to his lips. He kept his composure when Rex kicked him, but it hurt.

Their escape began uneventfully, Rex moved quickly and silently through the shadows, and Cody followed with a prayer caught in his throat. They stopped only once, a painful instance in which Rex thought he heard someone and pressed his back to the wall, gesturing for Cody to do the same. They held for almost a minute and Cody was convinced that his heartbeat would give them away, but the danger passed, and they made it to the door undisturbed.

Rex made sure to lock the door behind them, and then pointed to the closest tree before taking off in a run. Cody knew how dark it was, he knew that anyone looking out their window would have to be a hawk to see two black-clad figures darting across the grass, but still, his fear chased him.

His breath was coming out in heavy gasps by the time he joined Rex in the protective shadow of the oak tree. “What now?”

“It’s a two-minute run to the newer stables,” Rex whispered. “I don’t want to spend longer than thirty minutes in there, you still don’t know what we’re looking for?”

“How could I? All I know is Tano was in there in the middle of the night, it could be nothing.”

Rex frowned at him through the darkness and then ducked down to resume his run. He stayed low to the ground and didn’t bother turning around to check that Cody was behind him.

They didn’t need to trouble themselves with the lock on the main doors, one of the shuttered windows was much easier, and Rex had the padlock popped open in thirty seconds flat. With a boost from Cody, he went in headfirst and landed on all fours in an empty stall.

Cody waited for the all-clear and began musing over what he was going to wear at the party. He liked his orange tie, especially when paired with the dark, amber-colored vest, it gave the illusion that his outfits had been styled by someone who knew what they were doing. He couldn’t decide though, orange and amber were such autumn colors, and this was summer after all.

Rex’s hand poked through the window and batted him over the head. “Cody, wake up, I said it’s empty.”

“I’m awake, I’m right here,” Cody mumbled. “Give me a hand.”

There were still only two horses in the entire building, which left nearly ten stalls each for them to search. It was mind-numbing work, and Cody only got through it by picturing the bath he was going to take the following morning.

When he realized Rex was in the stall next to him, he lifted his head over the gate and snapped his fingers, “Hey, you still have that letter from Fox?”

“Which one?”

“About Kenobi.” He paused, “There’s more than one?”

“Not about Kenobi,” Rex answered, kicking through a pile of hay. “But, yeah, he writes to me all the time.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“It is.”

Cody let his chin rest on the wooden gate as Eggy sighed at them from three stalls down. He hadn’t heard from Fox in ages. “He’s still in Leeds?”

“What?” Rex turned to him with an eyebrow raised. “Leeds? What the hell, when was the last time you talked to him?”

“I don’t know,” Cody admitted. “Probably when I got out.”

“Jesus, no wonder he’s still angry at you.”

“He’s angry at me?” Cody regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Are you serious?” Rex scoffed. “You’re asking _me_?”

Cody pushed himself off the gate and went back to rooting through the dusty stall. “Forget it, I didn’t ask.”

“No, hold on,” Rex’s tone had turned sharp. “This is fascinating, you think he still lives in Leeds?”

“Drop it, we can talk about it later.”

“Later? When you’re getting introduced to Lord Kenobi’s snobby friends and I’m sneezing in the attic doing my job?”

Cody had to bite his tongue to stop from cursing. “This is my job; I’m getting close to him.”

“You’ve spent literally every evening with your arm around his waist,” Rex bit. “How much closer could you possibly be?”

Cody wheeled around and stepped up into Rex's face, making full use of his minor advantage in height. “Are you going to air me out over Fox or Kenobi? Make up your mind, we don’t have all night.”

“How about Dad?”

“Oh fuck you,” Cody groaned. “What the hell is wrong with you tonight?”

“Wrong with me?”

“You have found every excuse available to insult me, so, let’s cut the bullshit.” Cody threw his hands up, opening himself up for an attack. “If you want to hit me, hit me. I’m getting tired of this.”

“I should hit you,” Rex growled. “I really should.”

“Do it.”

Rex stared at him, chewing his bottom lip as he thought. “Why’d you tell him about the family?”

Cody rolled his eyes. “Oh, for fucks sake.”

Rex’s hand shot out over the gate and caught the fabric of his collar. “Did you tell him about Waxer too?”

“Let go.”

“Answer me,” Rex hissed. “Why did he need to know how many brothers we have? Why did he ask me what it was like growing up with twins?”

“I was just talking to him!” Cody jerked backward and freed himself of Rex’s grasp. “Is that what all this is about?”

Rex pushed the gate open and stepped into the stall, his brow drawn in tight. “Am I supposed to believe this is normal for you? I mean, when you used to sell people fake paintings, did you lead with: ‘ _Oh, by the way, I have seven brothers that I don’t know anything about_.’”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve to be talking to me like this,” Cody knew he was speaking too loudly, but he’d passed the point of caring. “Everything I have ever done has been for this family, how does mentioning the twins change any of that?”

“This is the first thing you’ve done ‘for the family’ in five years, so get off your fucking pedestal, I don’t need to hear it.”

“And what have you done? Have you found Fives yet?”

The front doors to the stables swung open and Cody dropped to the floor with Rex, slamming his back into the corner of the empty stall. He held his breath as the dim light of a shuttered lantern laced soft shadows across the ceiling, followed closely by a warm breeze.

The intruder muttered something either to themselves or one of the horses, and then moved further in the building, shining their light from side to side.

Cody met Rex’s petrified gaze and slowly lifted a hand, trying to signal that they needed to stay calm. There was no urgency to the footsteps echoing through the barn, which meant they hadn’t been seen, it was likely just a stable hand checking in on the horses.

The lantern passed them once, and then again as it headed back to the open door. Rex huddled close and Cody felt sweat prick at his hairline.

They stayed like that for ten minutes, even after the light was long gone and they’d heard the lock click shut on the front doors. Cody’s knees were stiff when he finally straightened his legs out, and he silently accepted a hand from Rex who pulled him to his feet, letting go as soon as Cody was upright.

“We’re not gonna find anything,” Rex whispered, his voice tired. “Let’s head back, get some sleep.”

“Rex-”

“Probably gonna be a late night tomorrow anyway.”

There was no point in pushing him, Cody followed back out the window and across the grass, up the stairs, down the hallway. His bed was waiting for him and he went to sleep without reading any of his book.

◊◊

_“You think the court’s gonna go easy on you just cause you left the money behind?”_

_Cody shook his head. The iron shackles around his wrists were heavier than they looked._

_The officer snapped his fingers in Cody’s face, “Speak up, punk. You think we care that you ran away? Do you have any idea how much you cost the bank in damages? How much gunpowder we wasted on you and your little crew?”_

_“I don’t.”_

_“Course you don’t,” the officer leaned back in his chair and cocked his head, taunting. “Only thing you were thinkin about was the women and whiskey, ain’t that right?”_

_“Stick to the questions, mate.” The second officer standing by the door frowned as he checked the time. “We don’t have time for this.”_

_“I will, just want to make sure he knows we’re not lettin’ him off easy for anything.”_

_Cody stared down at the stained surface of the table he’d been waiting at for the past three hours and wondered if his father had let anyone else read the letter he left. He hoped Rex and the twins weren’t taking the news too hard._

_“Right, so who were these other men you were workin’ with.”_

_“It was just me and this American,” Cody answered. “The other men, the kid who died, they’re nobodies, they didn’t do anything but follow me.”_

_The officer smirked as he scribbled down a few notes. “You gonna try to blame it all on an American, really?”_

_“No, the break-in was his idea, but he hired me to organize it. Opening the vault, taking the gold, all me.”_

_“And his name?”_

_“Never gave me one,” Cody replied, ignoring the annoyed looks from the officers. “He was human, young, white, brown hair, always acted strange, probably a drug problem.”_

_“So you agreed to rob a bank with a strung-out teenager? That’s your story?”_

_“He was willing to pay for my help. Said he’d get me weapons, any supplies I needed, transport, all of that.” Cody hated the way the two men were looking at him, he had to keep his head down to focus. “I was only supposed to get him in and out, we’d each take what we could carry, play it safe. But, I don’t know, I got ahead of myself, thought I could turn it into a larger haul if I brought more people.”_

_The officer’s pen stopped. “Hold on, it sounds like he already had money, what the hell was he after?”_

_“A lot, he mentioned some supplies for forgery, blank documents, different currencies, probably wanted to flee the country.”_

_“You know where he is?”_

_Cody couldn’t even guess. “He was gone before the shooting started, didn’t want to stick around while we got the vault open. Could be halfway across the Atlantic by now.”_

_The officer smiled as he scanned over his notes. “Well, that is very unfortunate for you, Mr. Fett. Cause if we can’t locate this-ah, mysterious American, you’re all we’ve got.”_

_“I don’t expect you to find him, but it doesn’t matter,” Cody sat forward, the chains rattled at his wrists. “He was just some kid, had no idea what he was doing. I could have found him those same documents for a fraction of the trouble, but it made more sense to take advantage of him, turn it into something I could make some real money off of.”_

_“Calm down, calm down,” the officer chuckled as he folded his notes over and started a new page. “We just want to hear the facts; we already know you’re a piece of shit.”_

◊◊

Their luck had run out, peace was over and the guests were arriving.

By four pm there were people all over the lower floors, and by five they were spilling out into the garden. It was nothing Cody hadn’t seen before, colorfully dressed women, men with pressed collars and white gloves, it was a just shame he wasn’t allowed to rob any of them.

He drifted from room to room for a while trying to get his bearings, and eventually set camp in the ballroom where the crowd was the thickest and easiest to hide in. There was music playing over the chatter, something cheerful and light, but the dancing hadn’t started yet.

He hung back near the bar where he could pretend to be busy, and ordered a glass of gin that he told himself he couldn’t finish for at least an hour. He wanted to make a good impression on Kenobi’s friends, not because he cared, but because if he got something wrong and they didn’t like him, he’d be in danger of throwing out a whole week’s worth of progress.

He was in the middle of his millionth scan of the room when something finally caught his eye. The guests were all dressed for a summer ball, lots of pinks and purples, open shoulders on dresses, white trousers on the men. But far off on the other side of the room, leaned up against the wall and still as a statue was a shadow. A man dressed in so much black you’d think he was attending a funeral. 

Cody knew he was better off staring into the depths of his untouched drink, but he was growing impatient for the Earl’s arrival and the man was a welcome distraction. He was a Zabrak, and his crown of horns were cropped short, though that was his only discernible feature. The rest of his face was obscured by heavy tattoos that hid any emotion, giving his bright eyes a sort of emptiness.

The song ended, and in the few seconds of silence before the next one started, the man tilted his head and slowly lifted his glass Cody’s way, a greeting, and invitation.

“Oh there he is! Commander!”

The music started up again and Cody’s neck snapped around to the source of the voice.

“Obi-Wan’s been looking for you,” Ahsoka huffed, hurrying over with a Nautolan on her arm. “You should come outside, it’s too hot in here.”

“I-ah,” Cody glanced back across the room but the Zabrak was gone, nothing but an empty spot on the wall. “I’ve…I’ve been looking for him too,” he threw on a smile as she drew near. “Have you all been in the garden this whole time?”

“Down by the flowers, it’s beautiful out there. I’m taking Lord Fisto over right now, you should join us if you’re not busy.”

Cody threw back a searing gulp of gin before abandoning his glass at the bar. “Bored out of my mind actually, lead the way.”

“Oh, perfect.” She smiled up at the man she was with. “Kit, this is Commander Fett, the, ah-”

“This is Fett?” Lord Fisto’s eyes went wide, and he immediately offered Cody his hand. “I was hoping we’d run into each other, Commander. Ahsoka was just telling me about you.”

Cody accepted the handshake and tried to ignore the uncomfortable realization that this was likely the ‘Kit’ that Vos had mentioned in her letter. “Thank you, and it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. Are you a friend of the Earls?”

Lord Fisto smiled warmly as they began following Ahsoka through the labyrinth of tables and babbling guests. He was exceptionally tall, and his accent and robes were clearly foreign. “I’ve known Obi-Wan for almost twenty years now; I think he’s the only person who could convince me to spend a holiday in Scotland.”

Fisto’s honesty was calming, and Cody was already forgetting the strange Zabrak as they stepped out into the evening air. “Not here for the races then?”

“Is it rude if I say no?”

“I don’t think the horses will mind.”

“Fair point,” Fisto chuckled. “But, in truth, I’m only here for the team reunion.”

Ahsoka stopped at a set of stairs and gestured down to the grass. “I think everyone’s down there but Quinlan and Luminara. I’m gonna do one more sweep and then I’ll be with Luke if anyone’s looking for me.” 

“I’m glad you’re here to round us up,” Fisto laughed. “Don’t overwork yourself looking for Quinlan though, he’s always late.”

“So I’ve heard,” she groaned, heading back off into the fray. “Wish me luck.”

The garden had been outfitted with its own bar as well as dozens of lanterns that littered the grass and highlighted open paths through the flowers. It was a lovely sight, and Cody took momentary pride in the fact that Rex was missing out.

“Obi-Wan!” Lord Fisto called out, skipping down the stairs and waving an arm.

Cody had to stop and grab the railing to stop from tripping. All thoughts of Rex and lanterns and party etiquette were gone in an instant. 

“Kit Fisto, is that really you?” Lord Kenobi was wearing a kilt.

“I know,” Fisto groaned. “We’ve all gotten so old, look at us.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kenobi charged forward and met Lord Fisto in a warm embrace. “You look better than you did ten years ago.”

Fisto’s laugh was deep and he swung an arm around Kenobi’s shoulder, “Still trying to flatter me? I’m a married man now you scoundrel.”

One of the women Kenobi had been talking to, a Rutian Twi’lek with a soft French accent waved her fan dismissively. “You know how he is, Kit. Just likes to flirt.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“Commander!” Kenobi’s smile widened. “I didn’t see you there, are you enjoying yourself?”

Cody felt genuinely faint as Kenobi slipped out from under Lord Fisto’s arm and began walking over to him. “I am,” he stuttered out after a moment of panic. “I was just in the-er-the ballroom, very nice, everything’s…nice.”

Kenobi’s eyes skated over Cody’s suit and his smile faded to something more honest. “You look good.”

“Thank you,” Cody said, as though he weren’t burning alive. “You as well.”

Kenobi cocked an eyebrow and nodded to the small crowd of people waiting for them. “Want to meet the team?” 

“I-if that’s-”

“Sorry, wasn’t a question.” Kenobi spun around and took Cody’s arm, leading him away from the stairs without further debate. “Everyone, this is Commander Fett, he’s-”

“Oh!” The Twi’lek exclaimed. “The man you were talking about?”

The dark-haired woman next to her stifled a laugh. “Aayla, don’t embarrass him.”

Kenobi sighed and shot Cody an apologetic glance before resuming his speech. “Right, as I was saying, the Commander here is a guest of the family. He and his brother have been wonderful company, and a great help with keeping Luke occupied.”

Cody smiled politely as the realization slowly dawned on him that if any of the three women in front of him were introduced as ‘Lady Vos’, he was never going to recover.

“Commander, it appears you’ve already been acquainted with Master Fisto,” Kenobi continued brightly. “But this here is Depa Billaba, Aayla Secura, and the lovely Shaak Ti. They’re some of my dearest friends, and I love them with all my heart, but you shouldn’t believe anything they say about me.”

“Ask us anything you want to know, Commander.” Madame Secura winked as she extended her hand. “We’ve got answers for everything.”

Cody took her hand and returned the smile as best he could. “I’ll have to make a list.”

“You know it’s a shame my husband isn’t here, he’s from New Zealand as well.” She went back to fanning herself and her eyes grew distant. “We always spend our winters there, it’s just beautiful,” she sighed. “Makes France look like a gutter, don’t you think?”

He wasn’t sure if she’d guessed where he was from based on his accent, or if Kenobi had told her, either way it was a pleasant surprise. “If I hadn’t spent a summer in Marseille I might be tempted to agree.”

“That was a good answer,” Lady Billaba muttered with a wry smile. “She was trying to get you to insult France.”

“I wasn’t!”

“I’ll insult France,” Kenobi offered. “Someone’s got to.”

Madame Secura whacked him with her fan and Cody glanced away before he could start laughing.

Lady Ti, the Togrutan woman draped in some of the heaviest looking jewelry Cody had ever seen, craned her neck to get a look over Kenobi’s shoulder. “Look who it is! Oh, she always looks so gorgeous, I’m going to cry.”

Kenobi turned to greet the newcomer and immediately abandoned Cody’s side; his arms outstretched. “Luminara! And, oh goodness, Barriss, you’ve gotten so tall.”

Cody chose to stare very intently at the lantern near the foot of the stairs to avoid getting another look at the kilt. He didn’t know why he was being so immature; he didn’t know why his head felt full of air and light as a feather.

“So, Commander.” Lady Billaba appeared at his side, her voice low. “You’ve only known him for a week?”

If she hadn’t been smiling Cody would have thought it was an insult. “Yes, well, eight days.”

“And you’re,” she paused, and glanced back at Lord Fisto. “You’re just here with your brother?”

“Just my brother.”

Madame Secura slid up to his left, trapping him between herself and Lady Billaba. “No wife?”

It was an innocent question, and yet Cody had a strange feeling that there was a correct answer. “I’m not-I’ve never been, actually-ah, married. No.”

“Not interested?”

“Aayla,” Lady Billaba scolded.

“Not-well.” Cody didn’t know who to look at, it was very intimidating. “Maybe someday, but for now, you know, with my lifestyle-”

“Ah.” Madame Secura nodded slowly. “Je comprends, ‘ _style de vie_.’”

“Um, yes, you could say that.” Cody nodded along as the two backed away. He had no idea what he was agreeing to. 

◊◊

Lord Kenobi’s friends spoke in a jumbled mess of obscure references and half-formed sentences that someone else would finish, and then they’d pause every two minutes to translate the nonsense to Cody. Most of it was old and fairly typical drama between the rich and attractive youths they all used to be, but they were so enthusiastic about sharing the gossip with someone new that Cody couldn’t help but hang on to every word. 

Lord Fisto was surprisingly funny, though Madame Secura seemed to think all his jokes were in bad taste and kept rolling her eyes. This was later explained when Lady Billaba made mention of a decade-old affair between the two that Kenobi claimed to have foreseen the failure of from the beginning. 

The topic of Maul was first touched on by Lady Unduli, an offhand comment that launched a tense twenty-minute competition as to who had survived the worst experience with the man, Kenobi excluded, of course. This was only put to a stop when a young boy wandered over and was quickly introduced as Caleb, Lady Billaba’s son. Maul’s deviancy was then forgotten in place of bemoaning how fast Caleb and Barriss – Lady Unduli’s completely silent daughter – had grown up.

Cody felt vaguely like he’d stepped into a boxing ring without any gloves. The massive amount of information that had been heaped on him along with the almost frantic transitions between topics was truly violent, if not entertaining. 

“Alright, enough joking around,” Lord Fisto cleared his throat, waiting for the group to quiet down. “I want to dance but I’m getting tired of waiting for Quinlan, I say we forget him and head in.”

“Give him a little longer,” Lady Ti argued. “The suns not even down, we can wait.”

Madame Secura pursed her lips. “Kit’s right, I saw him in town this morning, he knew what time we had agreed on.”

“Maybe he had something to drink on the way here,” Kenobi offered. “He could already be passed out in the ballroom.”

“Something to drink?” Madame Secura raised an eyebrow. “Obi-Wan, don’t you know? He hasn’t had a drop in years.”

“Oh, sorry.” Lord Kenobi’s smile flicked off. “I didn’t know that-that’s…ah, that’s good to hear. Good for him.”

Lord Fisto snorted. “Still can’t tell the time though.”

Cody took it upon himself to change the subject. He didn’t like the way Lord Kenobi held his own hand when he got nervous. “Your friend, Quinlan, was he also a fencer?”

“Oh dear,” Lady Billaba laughed. “When he wasn’t terrorizing half of Europe, yes, he was a wonderful athlete, still is.”

“He’s going to like you; I can already tell.” Lady Ti rested a hand on Cody’s arm and leaned in close. “But listen to me, he’ll stop if you ask him to, don’t worry.”

Cody hadn’t known he was supposed to be worried. 

“Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, take him, and cut him out in little stars.”

“Oh no,” Madame Secura groaned. “I think we summoned him, prepare yourselves.”

“And he will make the face of heaven so fine.” There was a man at the top of the stairs, his hair was long, and the bright yellow fabric of his coat made him shine as it caught the last of the fading sunset.

Lord Kenobi cursed under his breath as the man descended to their level. “Don’t you dare quote Shakespeare in front of me, I swear I’ll-”

“And all the world will be in love with night.” The man spread his arms as he advanced on the Earl, a pink rose from the entranceway decorations hanging loosely in one hand. “And pay no worship to the garish sun.”

Lord Kenobi sighed and covered his face. “O, I have bought the mansion of a love.”

“There he is!” The man laughed. “Give me one more line, come on.”

“But not possessed it, and, though I am sold, not yet enjoyed.” Kenobi did his best to suppress a smile as the man rushed over and gathered him up in his arms. “Hello, Quinlan.”

“Obi-Wan,” Quinlan pulled back and placed a sloppy kiss on Kenobi’s cheek. “Will you marry me?”

“Don’t fall for his good looks, Kenobi,” Fisto warned. “He only wants you for your money.”

“Kit!” Quinlan dashed over but ended up taking a detour before reaching Lord Fisto. “Wait, I want to hug Aayla first, she looks angry.”

“Because you’re late,” Madame Secura scolded. “But yes, come here, and you better give me a kiss too.”

“Pas de problème _,”_ Quinlan crooned as he leaned down to peck her cheek. “Cette robe est magnifique, au fait.”

She laughed and pushed him away. “Your pronunciation has not improved, darling.”

Cody watched, stunned, as Quinlan pinballed through the group, throwing his arms around anyone in his path and laughing at the top of his lungs. He was loud, and everything about him was golden, the tattoo across his nose and cheekbones, the rings on his fingers, his velvet coat which hung open over a ruffled shirt.

He was the type of man Cody knew he could never be, even for a job, even as pretend. There was a certain type of charisma you couldn’t fake, and whoever Quinlan was, he had it in spades.

“Obi-Wan, why did you cut your hair?” Quinlan asked, snaking an arm around the Earl’s waist. “I’m glad you kept the beard, but this is no fun, there’s nothing to hold onto.”

“Do you think we go at least ten minutes before you start-”

“And the kilt? Did you wear that for me? Be honest. Wait, before you answer that.” Quinlan spun himself and Kenobi around, coming to an abrupt stop when they were facing Cody. “There’s someone here I don’t recognize.”

Kenobi frowned as he pried Quinlan’s hand off his hip. “This is Commander Fett; he and his brother are staying here at the house with me and they’ve-”

“Commander Fett – is that what I should call you?” Quinlan stepped away from Kenobi and slid smoothly up to Cody’s side. “Or just…‘Commander’?”

Cody didn’t know why they were standing so close together. “Oh, either is fine, Sir. Thank you for asking.”

“Mm, and you’re a friend of Obi-Wan’s?” 

“Yes he is,” Kenobi cut in. “So, please behave.”

Quinlan smirked at Cody as though they were in on some hilarious inside joke. “So bossy, isn’t he?”

“Quinlan, honestly.”

“Don’t worry about him,” Quinlan muttered, reaching down and taking Cody’s hand. “Quinlan Vos. I’m much more fun.”

It wasn’t, he’d misheard.

Only he knew he hadn’t misheard so the next obvious solution was that Vos was a common surname, or that Quinlan had a sister, or a cousin, there were infinite explanations, really. Infinite explanations that were not-

That couldn’t be-

“Pleasure to meet you, Lord Vos,” Cody said, shaking Quinlan’s hand like he would any new acquaintance. “I look forward to seeing you at races.”

“Please, Commander.” Quinlan scoffed as he tucked the rose he was holding into his breast pocket. “‘Quinlan’ is just fine, any friend of the Earl’s…you know.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Kenobi grumbled. “Kit? Didn’t you want to go inside? I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“I thought you hated dancing,” Lord Fisto teased. “Have you finally had a change of heart?”

“I have.”

“Are we dancing?” Quinlan whipped around. “Aayla you’re coming with me; I want to hear about that husband I found you, he better be treating you like a Goddess.”

Madame Secura chuckled as he linked their arms. “Fine, but I’m leading, I don’t trust you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Cody’s resolve faltered for a moment and he accidentally thought about the fact that Quinlan had explicitly asked about the kilt that Kenobi was wearing. It was a horrible coincidence; it was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

“Commander, are you staying here?”

Cody blinked, the group was halfway to the stairs and it was only he and Lord Kenobi left standing in the grass. “Oh, sorry,” he smiled. “Just a bit tired.”

“No need to apologize. They’re a tiring crowd.”

“Oh, no, your friends are terrific, thank you for introducing me.” Cody fell into step with Kenobi, trialing a few meters behind the rest of the group. “How are you holding up?”

Kenobi glanced forward to make sure they were out of earshot before answering. “I’m doing better than I thought I would, but I think it’s only because they haven’t been asking too many questions.”

“Do you think they will?”

“Eventually, and I won’t mind, I owe them answers.”

Cody didn’t think the Earl owed anyone anything, but he wasn’t sure he had the right to say that. “Is Luke here? I haven’t seen him.”

“He’s with the Organas for tonight, he and Leia have momentarily set aside their differences so we’re trying to make the most of it.” Kenobi held the door as they stepped back into the madness that was the house. “Barriss and Caleb are so much older than him anyway, I don’t think he’d be having any fun with me.”

“I don’t know if you give yourself enough credit, but I am glad to hear that he and Leia have made peace.”

“We’ll see how long it lasts.”

The music was louder now, and the crowd had migrated to the edges of the room to make space for the dancers. It was a simple melody, an easy to follow quadrille that saw nervous couples spinning around each other under the light of three massive chandeliers.

Lord Fisto and Lady Ti had already taken off, but Quinlan was waiting with his arm around Madame Secura. “Commander, I hope you’re not going anywhere; you look like you know how to dance.”

Cody didn’t bother trying to debate with himself, he was at a party, he had to dance. “That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”

“Good man, you hear that, Obi-Wan?”

“I did,” Lord Kenobi answered, doing nothing to hide his annoyance. “And I’ve been practicing so I don’t want to hear anything out of you.”

“Practicing?” Quinlan crowed. “God, I would have killed to see that.”

Kenobi’s face hardened. “It’s been going quite well, thank you. Even Commander Fett was helping me.”

Cody’s stomach flipped; there was no way the Earl genuinely believed that was something to boast about. 

Quinlan’s eyes went wide with amusement, not affected by Kenobi’s hostility in the slightest. “Has he now? Tell me,” he cocked his head. “Which one of you leads? Can I take a guess?”

“You may not.” Kenobi brushed past and held his hand out for Lady Billaba. “Depa, would you do me the honor?”

Quinlan glanced between Cody and Kenobi for a second, his smile spreading. “Or maybe you just switch back and forth when that other gets tired. That’s what I would do.”

Lord Kenobi looked angry enough to take Quinlan apart with his bare hands, and Madame Secura had to pop her fan open to hide her laughter. Cody was certain he was missing something.

Lady Billaba gave Kenobi’s arm a sympathetic squeeze. “Didn’t you miss him?”

“Every day,” Kenobi replied through his teeth.

Rather than try to pick apart the complicated layers to whatever Kenobi and Quinlan’s friendship was, Cody gathered himself and bowed to Lady Unduli. “Do you dance, Madame?”

She smiled and offered him her hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Other than the short instance in the library, Cody hadn’t danced in years. When he was younger and a little better looking, he used to show up at balls all over the city and talk whoever he could find into investments that he made up on the spot. It was always a pleasant way to pass the time, and without the added pressure of trying to make money, the Organa’s ball was even better.

The steps came back to him through muscle memory and Lady Unduli’s own skill. Their conversation turned to children, and she was excited to find that he could sympathize with her panic over Barriss not being a teenager anymore.

The tempo picked up and he swung her around before switching partners on the downbeat, ending up with Lady Ti and a buzz in his ears. The melody and the rhythm of the room were getting under his skin and making his chest swell, he didn’t even care that Lady Ti was too tall for him, she was a good dancer and easy to make laugh.

It was like walking through the garden with Lord Kenobi, it was just real enough that if he stopped thinking about it too hard, he could start to smile without reminding himself to. That’s what Rex didn’t understand, it couldn’t all be fake, sometimes you had to sell your soul a little.

Lady Ti leaned down. “Hope you’re ready,” she whispered.

Cody just smiled back; he knew how to switch partners, he was ready.

The music snapped, every skirt in the room spun, Cody let go of Lady Ti and held his arm out only-

Madame Secura did not come any closer, she was dancing the men’s part.

“Hello again, Commander.”

Cody looped his arm around Quinlan’s waist without thinking about it and spun before they could crash into the couple next to them.

“How’s your night been going?”

“It’s ah-” Cody couldn’t let go, that would be rude, they were in the middle of the dance floor. “It’s-I’m fine, how are you?”

“Just perfect, thanks for asking.”

Surely someone was going to stop them, this had to be against some sort of rule.

“So,” Quinlan ducked under Cody’s arm for a spin and then came back in close, almost pressing their chests together. “You’re here with your brother?”

Cody was fairly certain that his feet were still dancing, but his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking that the velvet of Quinlan’s coat was softer than it looked, and that the hand on his shoulder was heavier than any of the women’s. “Yes, uh-I’m not sure where he is right now, but I’ll introduce you when I find him.”

“Does he look like you?”

“He does, he’s got lighter hair but…same eyes.”

The golden tattoo that stretched across Quinlan’s face warped upward when he smiled. “How lucky for him.”

Cody stepped forward, he leaned into Quinlan’s hand to guide him to the right, he kept his grip firm around his waist. Men were easy to dance with as it turned out, Cody never would have guessed.

“Now when Obi-Wan says you’ve been-ah, ‘helping him’, are we talking private lessons?”

“Oh, no,” Cody tried to laugh. “I haven’t really done anything, it was just one time, that’s all.”

“Too bad, he’s a horrible dancer. You’re not.”

“I don’t know, he’s-well.” Cody pulled Quinlan into another turn and felt his ears burning for what may well have been the tenth time that night. What was he doing defending Kenobi? Quinlan was a close friend of his, it wasn’t even a real insult.

Quinlan raised an eyebrow and glanced over Cody’s shoulder. “I’ll be honest, I can tell he’s been practicing, but I’m not impressed.”

“He just-he probably, with a good partner-”

“Like you?”

“Well,” Cody stammered. “Maybe if I was a woman.” He couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth, he sounded insane. “But, you know, I’m not-”

“No,” Quinlan agreed. “You’re not, neither am I.”

“No, sorry,” Cody’s eyes went wide, his heart rate picked up. “That’s not what I meant, of course, I know you're-sorry.”

Quinlan shook his head dismissively. “I know what you meant.”

“That’s…good.”

“It is, and so are we, right? We’re good partners?”

They were, they hadn’t set a foot out of line. “I suppose.”

“You suppose.” Quinlan was smiling like he had been before, like they both knew something everyone else didn’t, only Cody also had no idea what was going on. “So, if you suppose that we’re good dance partners, why not you and our handsome friend the Earl?”

Cody had to wait through at least two full stanzas of music before he could answer. “I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Quinlan shrugged. “Well I do, I think you should dance with him.”

The song drew softly to a close before Cody could answer, and the crowd began a round of polite applause as the band reset. Quinlan curtseyed with a smile still sprawled across his face, and then he waved a hand to someone across the room before dashing off without so much as a farewell.

Cody had to leave. Now was his chance, he was going to make a run for the bar and get just drunk enough that all of what had transpired would be hard to remember and easy to forget by the morning.

Or maybe he was drunk already, he could’ve had something earlier and forgotten about it. Maybe that was why he had just danced with another man in front of every goddamn person in the house. 

“There he is, hasn’t even moved.” Quinlan reappeared out of nowhere and grabbed Cody’s arm. “Song’s about to start, I have to go, don’t let him trip.”

Cody’s hand was dropped into someone else’s, and then Lord Kenobi was standing in front of him with a loose tie and a pink flush up to his cheeks. “I am so sorry, Commander. I should have never let him get a hold of you; he doesn’t know when to stop.”

“I’m alright,” Cody lied. “He’s-I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I’m sure you are, but he’s not, he’s out of his mind.”

It was a bad time to be having a conversation, they were standing in the middle of the ballroom and everyone around them was lining up for the next dance.

Kenobi seemed to realize their predicament as well and stepped closer, reducing the space they were taking up. “Anyway, I can’t imagine that you actually want to dance with me, so we’d better get out of here before the fighting starts.”

Cody had a few seconds at most to make his decision. He knew what he was supposed to do, but there was no time to convince himself, he did what he wanted instead. “Wait.”

Kenobi stopped and looked him in the eyes, more worried than anything else.

“Do you only know how to lead?”

“Yes, sorry.” Kenobi flashed a nervous smile. “I’ve only been practicing with Ahsoka for a couple of days.”

The music was starting again.

“That’s fine.” Cody stepped around him and lined himself up with the women. “I can follow.”

Kenobi didn’t move, the violin faded in.

Cody grabbed his arm and fit it loosely around his waist. “Start on your right foot.”

“Are you-?”

“We’ll go until the partners change, it’s not long.”

Kenobi pulled Cody in until they were face to face, and then he stepped with his right foot.

The dance started slow, just a few meandering circles to get everyone on beat that Kenobi handled as best he could. He wasn’t telegraphing his directions well, but that was fine, he was inexperienced, and the steps were simple enough that Cody didn’t need to think about it.

He kept waiting to feel foolish, or that he was acting like a woman, and he thought he finally would when he stepped away and ducked under Kenobi’s arm for a twirl but, he didn’t. He just felt like he was dancing.

Kenobi drew him back in, closer than before. “How am I doing?”

It seemed too intimate to look him in the eyes, Cody focused on the grey at his temples, the freckle on his cheek. “Very nicely, Miss Tano’s been teaching you well.”

“I’ll have you know; Luke came to watch us practice the other day, and he’s a much harsher critic than you.”

Cody was infinitely thankful for Kenobi’s humor; the quiet tension had somehow been harder on his nerves than Quinlan’s boldness. “That’s what kids are for, I guess, keeping us humble.”

Kenobi missed a step, and they would have stumbled if Cody hadn’t been keeping count. The recovery was a little awkward and Kenobi scrunched his nose while smiling through his embarrassment. Cody wondered what it was like to kiss someone with a beard.

“You have any tips for me? I don’t want to knock you over.”

“You’re fine, just started the turn early.” Cody smiled, “I’m pretty sturdy anyway, I can handle it.”

Kenobi laughed and readjusted his hand on Cody’s hip. He was handsome, Quinlan was right.

It wasn’t an odd thing to think about a man, it was only an observation, and a very obvious one at that. Lord Kenobi _was_ handsome, he was one of the most handsome men Cody had ever met and it made him hard to look at sometimes.

“I think we should make our exit,” Kenobi muttered. “I don’t want to pass you off to one of these other men.”

Cody wished they’d had longer, it felt like they’d just gotten started. “That’s probably a good idea, I don’t think I’m the fair damsel they’re expecting.”

Kenobi began leading him to the edge of the dancefloor as the rest of the couples readied for the partner change. If anyone was looking at them funny, Cody didn’t care anymore. He’d only come all this way for Lord Kenobi anyway, as long as he was happy everything was fine.

“That was fun,” Kenobi dropped his hand, but his other arm lingered around Cody’s waist as they reached the crowd. “Thank you for humoring me, I promise to be more focused next time.”

Cody’s heart lurched. “No I wasn’t-I wanted, as well. I mean that wasn’t,” he was rambling. “A favor.”

Kenobi leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. His mustache felt funny, his lips were dry and soft. He was smiling fondly when he pulled back. “I’m going to make sure Luke got to bed alright. I’ll be back.”

“Okay,” Cody said.

“I think Aayla mentioned going to get some refreshments.” He pointed to a set of doors as he stepped away. “They’ll probably be in there if you want to go find them.”

Cody nodded, Kenobi turned and walked away from him.

He touched his face where Kenobi’s lips had been and stood like that until he couldn’t hold back a laugh anymore and had to cover his mouth. He looked around at the people standing nearby, he didn’t know why they weren’t smiling too, or laughing, or jumping around and swinging each other in circles.

He had enough energy to run for miles, if he was dropped into a boxing ring at that instant, he’d knock even the surliest of opponents down in one swing. He wasn’t just going to steal Lord Kenobi’s diamonds, he’d take everything he had, he wanted it all. 

“Hello, Charles.” The Zabrak with bright eyes held out a glass of gin. “Do you have a moment?”

◊◊

_Cody’s first night in prison was deathly cold. The next ten were not any different._

_He was sitting on the ground with his knees pressed to his chest when a guard knocked on the bars to his cell and told him that Queen Amidala was dead, and that he should say a prayer for her._

_Cody said nothing, but he did wonder what did her in. Maybe she had a little brother who shot her in the head too._

◊◊

Cody shut the door to the sitting room and locked it. “Who are you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m a friend.”

“No you’re not. Who are you?”

“Oh, but I think you know already.” The Zabrak folded his hands behind his back as he gazed out the window. “I have quite the reputation with your new friends.”

His voice was slippery and soft, it set Cody’s teeth on edge. “You’re Maul? The washed-up fencer who’s trailing Lord Kenobi?”

“And you’re Charles Fett, the nobody who talks old ladies into buying forged paintings.” Maul’s face spread open in a smile. “You see? We do know each other.”

“Who told you that? Who the fuck-”

“Charles, please.” Maul raised a tattooed hand. “I have a busy evening planned; I don’t have time for any debate. Now, we’re both friends of the Emperor, and that means we can trust each other.”

Cody cursed and leaned hard into the door. He knew Palpatine had allies at every level of society, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he wouldn’t be the only one on the guest list. “Did he send you? Are you supposed to be helping us?”

Maul turned to him, pleased. “Exactly, I’m here to provide some…valuable personal insight. Free of charge, might I add.”

“You’re here to annoy me.” Cody reached for the door. “I don’t have any business with you, goodnight.”

“Charles-”

“It’s Cody,” he growled. “For you, and for everyone.”

Maul had crossed the room in the blink of an eye and was suddenly far closer than Cody would have liked. “It would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say, I’ve been watching you, and I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with.”

Cody squared his shoulders, he was much taller than Maul, he wasn’t scared. “If you know Palpatine so well, then you should know how important it is that I be allowed to do my job without interference.”

“What did he tell you about me? Let’s start there.” Maul reached over and took Cody’s hand off the doorknob, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Probably something about how I lost the title to him, I was a bad sport about everything, right? Sound familiar?”

“It does. But honestly, I don’t really care.”

“I know, I know, we’ll get there.” Maul frowned and tapped his chin. “Let’s see, did he also tell you that he broke my leg outside of a pub in Berlin?”

Cody didn’t answer, this wasn’t any of his business.

“Bit difficult to claim victory over an opponent who can’t walk anymore, don’t you think?”

“I’m trying to steal his money, why would any of this matter to me?”

“Because you like him,” Maul sighed, shaking his head in pity. “And I don’t blame you, he’s got the looks, the charm, he probably likes to go on long walks at sunset and talk to you about Greek myths and his _oh so tragic_ life.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You should have seen your face when the two of you were dancing,” Maul continued, lost in his own prose. “Or when he kissed you, that was adorable.”

Cody dug his nails into his palms.

“I almost feel bad stepping in like this, but it has to be done, you’re getting carried away.”

“Stop telling me how to do my job,” Cody snapped. “So what if we’re close, that’s the whole point, how else am I supposed to get anything done?”

“Close? My friend, you’re one drink away from climbing into bed with him.”

That was the final straw, Cody threw his hands out and grabbed Maul by the front of his coat. “I am not like that,” he barked. “Who the fuck are you to be saying that shit about me?”

Maul threw his head back and laughed, not paying any mind to Cody’s hold on him. “I really struck a chord, didn’t I? Scared your next charge is going to be for sodomy?”

“Shut up.” There was very little stopping him from knocking Maul’s teeth out.

“Shouting at me won’t change anything, I wasn’t the only one who saw the way you were acting around him.”

Cody tossed Maul away and watched him stumble backward as he tried not to fall. “If you were watching us so intently, then you know he acts like that with all his friends, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Maul’s face lit up. “Ah, right! His friends! Like the insufferable Quinlan Vos? His ex-lover?”

Cody felt the room go cold.

“Or Kit Fisto? The only other homosexual he couldn’t charm the trousers off of? Fine fellow if you ask me.”

“That’s not-” Cody shook his head, he didn’t want to hear this, he didn’t even want to hear the word. “He’s had affairs with women before, I have proof.”

“What, you think I don’t know that?” Maul sneered. “It’s not always one or the other.”

Cody wanted to cover his ears, he didn’t care if it made him look like a child, he couldn’t hear any more of this, he could barely breathe.

“Coming around, are we?”

He could still feel the spot on his cheek where Kenobi had kissed him. It was starting to burn, he felt dirty all over.

“So, Char-sorry, _Cody_.” Maul advanced on him again, his voice going soft. “I hope you learned a valuable lesson about pretty-faced alcoholics who laugh at all your jokes. Because in most cases,” he winced. “They’re not falling in love with you, and they’re definitely not trying to be your friend. They just want to take your clothes off.”

Cody had nothing to respond. He submitted and stared into the empty fireplace rather than look Maul in the eyes.

“It was nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard only good things.” The lock on the door clicked back open. “And if there’s anything else I can do to help, I won’t be far.”

Cody listened to Maul stalk off down the hallway and tried to keep his chest from caving in. He didn’t think it was fair that happiness was always followed so closely by shame. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOHHHH my god. guys the cheek kiss wasn't even in the draft I just got fed up and ran with it. 
> 
> Also @kuldrenett made some more beautiful edits of the cast in their victorian outfits that have me REELING please check them out here's: [Obi in his KILT??](https://kuldrenett.tumblr.com/post/642310012237185024/cafffine-mentioned-kilt-and-i-went-and), [the Organas](https://kuldrenett.tumblr.com/post/642314684102590464/1850s-bail-and-breha-organa), [Jango and Anidala](https://kuldrenett.tumblr.com/post/643221875051413504/it-isnt-easy-being-a-single-dad-of-8-kids-in), [Cody and Obi oh god this one makes me cry](https://kuldrenett.tumblr.com/post/642489266862243840/okay-so-you-know-when-your-brain-just-latches)
> 
> Thank you for all your comments!! I read everything like ten times over tbh, and some of you literally have a better grasp of this fic than me its amazing, love you!


	6. Full-Contact Sport

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY WE'RE BACK!! Thank you for waiting through this mini-hiatus!!
> 
> ONE IMPORTANT THING: It was my bad for not tagging this earlier, but there's a lot of discussions of homophobia coming up, both internalized and societal. Not many slurs are used (and not any modern slurs), but it may still be upsetting if that is a trigger for you! Please read with caution and take care of yourselves! ily!! 
> 
> All credit to @beanabouttown and @kitcatkim, my incredible beta readers who helped me avoid a complete breakdown over this DAMN chapter

Jango Fett decided to move his family to England because he was going to pursue a career in law, and London seemed like a good place to start. It was big and bright and he was going to make a lot of money, he was going to do a lot of good.

He had two sons and he named them both Charles because it was a good solid name and they were going to be good solid men someday. He told them that they’d enjoy London, they’d start school and they’d do well because they were clever for their age.

They both believed him, he’d never lied before.

It was a long boat ride. Charles Cameron, who was younger, got sick from the sway of the ocean and Charles Christopher sat next to him and told him it was going to be alright; they’d be there soon.

When they landed, Charles Christopher asked Jango if this was London. Jango said no, it was Australia, they had a long way to go.

Getting across the continent was more expensive than Jango had planned for. His sons kept getting tired and they couldn’t travel as far as he wanted each day. When they made it to the West coast and bought their second fare, this time to India, he only had half the money he’d budgeted for.

But that would have to do, they couldn’t turn back now. He decided not to tell his wife.

The voyage to India was difficult. Charles Cameron was sick again and wasn’t eating as much as a four-year-old should. The days were long and tedious, the ocean was not as beautiful as it had once been.

By the time they set their feet on solid ground again Charles Cameron was ashen-faced and painfully thin, Jango let himself get worried for the first time. Charles Christopher noticed this, he noticed too much about his father.

There were other people traveling to Europe that they followed for weeks and weeks. The money kept getting spent on food so Jango went off one night and mugged the first well-dressed man he saw. He didn’t feel too bad about it, his sons had to eat. He’d make up for it once he was working in a courtroom.

He dipped into their savings right about the time they crossed the border into Austria. They’d been traveling for so long at that point that Charles Christopher had turned six. Jango gave him more to carry, he could handle it.

Europe was bleak and rainy. Jango robbed a shop in Bavaria to get some better jackets for his sons, they weren’t handling the cold well.

They passed through Prussia and then the port in Amsterdam. No one was happy to be getting on a boat again, but it’d be the last one they ever took, he told them. This was it, after all this time.

Charles Christopher remembered this well. He’d been six for a month and a half and the idea of coming to an end of their journey was something he could hardly fathom. He huddled close to his brother and told him how wonderful London was going to be.

When they got off the boat he cheered and skipped around because it was the best day of his life. His father smiled in a way he hadn’t in a long time and scooped him up in his arms and kissed his cheeks.

Charles Christopher wasn’t keeping count, but that was the last time his father ever picked him up.

It was confusing at first, why they didn’t move into a house like they were supposed to, but Charles Christopher wasn’t stupid. He figured out pretty quickly that until his Father got that job he kept talking about, things would just cost a lot more than they should.

His parents started fighting every night. They had two meals a day at most.

One day, about two months after arriving in London, Charles was excited because his Father wanted to go on a walk with just him. It was dark out, and cold like it always was.

“You see that man over there?” Jango pointed. “In the long coat?”

Charles nodded.

“Alright, listen to me. I want you to walk around the fountain to the right, and when you come back around towards him, start crawling on the ground, don’t let him see you.”

That sounded very odd, Charles didn’t know why he’d do something like that.

“Now, when you crawl up behind him, behind the bench he’s sitting on,” Jango took a deep breath, then stared at the ground for a second. “You’re gonna reach through the grates and into his pocket.”

“What?” Charles said, too loud, his father shushed him.

“It’ll be fine.” Jango dropped down to a squat and put a hand on Charles’ shoulder. “You just have to pretend he’s asleep and you don’t want to wake him up.”

“What if he does though?”

“Then you run back over here,” Jango answered calmly. “But that won’t happen, all you’re gonna do is grab his pocketbook, and then bring it right over to me, quiet as a mouse.”

Charles frowned. “Dad, that’s stealing.”

“I-yes, I know.” Jango screwed his eyes shut and scrubbed his hand over his face. “It is stealing, but he’s a very rich man, he’ll barely notice it's gone.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I do, just trust me.”

Charles did trust him, but that didn’t mean he wanted to steal.

“Look at me, hey.” Jango gave Charles’ shoulder a shake. “You know we’re in a tight spot right now, yeah? Like how we’re having a hard time getting dinner sometimes?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, men like that? They don’t care.”

Charles was getting nervous, he started playing with his buttons. “But he doesn’t know us.”

“I know, I know,” Jango sighed. “But even if he did, even if he knew that your brother was up late with a stomach ache asking for more bread? He wouldn’t do anything. He probably thinks we deserve it.”

That was horrible, Charles thought. That made him angry.

“So even though he has enough money to buy a thousand loaves of bread, he’d rather they get moldy than share even one with you.”

“Oh,” Charles muttered. “That’s not nice.”

“It’s not,” Jango agreed. “That’s why you don’t need to feel bad about taking a few pounds from him. “Cause he’s not nice, he doesn’t deserve it, does he?”

Charles shook his head; he still didn’t feel like crawling over there though.

“That’s right, he’s selfish.” Jango held both his palms out. “Now give me your hands.”

Charles did as he was told. He watched in silence as his Father folded their hands together and then puffed his cheeks out, blowing warm air until Charles could feel the tips of his fingers tingle again.

“The most important thing when you’re doing stuff like this,” Jango said between breaths. “Is that your hands are nice and warm, you gotta have full control, no frozen fingers.”

“Okay.”

“I think that’s good.” Jango dropped his arms and sat back on his heels. “You remember what I told you? About crawling and-”

“Yeah, but-”

“No ‘buts’, you’re gonna take care of your brother with that money, you hear me?”

Charles heard him.

He started to think that whatever his Father had puffed onto his hands that night was magic. No one ever noticed when he reached into their pockets, unclipped their watches, slipped off their earrings. His hands were invisible, they were good at what they did.

London was a little easier after that. His father went out and got enough money to keep their tiny bed in the boarding house, and Charles went out and stole enough to get them dinner. Good dinner now, though.

Charles Cameron didn’t get sick anymore, he started looking a little brighter in the eyes and fuller in the cheeks. Charles Christopher couldn’t help but be proud of himself, that was all his doing. He was taking care of his brother just like his Father had asked him to.

Summer came and the streets were full and the sun was warm. He started having fun.

“Just lie down there and start cryin’ and stuff.” Charlie pointed to the gutter. “Pretend you fell down and twisted your ankle up. Then when someone leans over, I’ll come up behind, and you keep goin’ till I’ve cleaned ‘em out.”

Charles Cameron giggled. “No one’s gonna believe that, I’ll just look funny.”

“Nuh-uh!” Charlie shook his head. “You’re a good liar, just like me, sly as a fox.”

With Fox in on the family business, they started making more money on the streets than was needed for daily meals. They got new shoes, matching wool hats, they even bought pastries from street vendors on the weekends sometimes. Their Father was right, they were enjoying London, they were clever for their age.

When Charlie was ten, he found out that his mother was pregnant again. He was surprised, and then he was excited, another sibling meant another pair of hands.

The following nine months were the best it ever got. They finally found a real place to live, 24 Walnut Street. It was small, but it had two floors, a working fireplace, and a kitchen. He and Fox couldn’t stop working the streets though, their father made that very clear. Houses were expensive.

When Charlie was eleven, it turned out that he didn’t have a new sibling, he had two. No one would have been able to tell them apart except that Clarence had a whole bunch of curly hair and Cecil was so bald his head shone like polished silver, like a waxed floor.

Fox was scared of the twins, he said they were too little and cried too much, but Charlie loved them. Their father worked late every night, so he helped feed them mushed up peas and pinched their sides till they laughed.

Waxer never did grow any hair, so the name stuck. That meant they needed a nickname for Clarence. His case of the pox when he was eleven months old was the best they could do.

Charlie learned that on top of houses, babies were also expensive.

He and Fox had to stop buying new shoes and pastries on the weekend. It all had to go to Waxer and Boil now, they were getting big, starting to toddle around.

Waxer couldn’t quite say, ‘Charlie’, so they tried to teach him ‘Christopher’, or at least, ‘Chris’. All he babbled out was something like, ‘Coco’, and that was final.

Their father barely existed anymore, and their mother was pregnant again. Charlie and Fox spent all day outside and then went home to cook dinner. It wasn’t really fun anymore. If it wasn’t for the twins bouncing around on the floor and squealing out, “Coco! Fox!” When they came through the door every night, they’d almost say they hated it.

Casey was born on the same day that the King died. He had the wrong color hair and he cried so little that Jango thought there was something wrong with him.

Charlie knew better though, Rex was perfect.

There were a lot of kids to feed. Charlie didn’t mind, per se, but he decided that once he was grown up and had a wife, they’d only have two children. And only if they were rich.

When Fox was fifteen and the twins were five and Rex was three, Charlie was sixteen, and he found out what their father did at night.

Jango fought in bars, he broke into houses, he killed people. He was never going to work in a courtroom, they were never going to be a rich family.

Working the streets was a lot harder once Charlie knew it wasn’t temporary, and never had been. He didn’t tell his brothers this; they’d figure it out on their own.

A year later the second twins were born and even though Charlie loved them more than anything, he was getting tired. He never complained of course, but six little brothers were a lot of work, and he was just one boy.

Picking pockets and faking injuries wouldn’t cut it anymore. He started talking to people that scared him, they rented him nice clothes and taught him how to rig bets at boxing matches. It was dangerous, but it was money like he’d never seen before.

He couldn’t give his new employers his real name, and the only other titles he answered to were ‘C.C.’ from Rex – which wasn’t actually a name – and ‘Coco’ from Waxer and Boil. Only, ‘Coco’ was sort of stupid, so he said, “Cody.”

By twenty, Cody was organizing his own jobs, didn’t need help from old drunks with prison stories anymore. He employed his brothers and started hanging around pubs at night to win the favor of local gangs.

That was when he kissed a girl for the first time. She was pretty, and she didn’t care what his name was, just pulled his face down to her neck and laughed. He had no idea what he was doing, he put his hands on her hips like he’d seen other men do, and he kissed along her shoulders while his heartbeat thundered.

He had sex with her in the bedroom of an inn that smelled of mildew. He was so nervous that his hands shook, and she thought it was sweet. She moaned and gasped and made a lot of sounds that Cody took to mean he was doing things alright.

The next day he decided that it had been a fluke. It wasn’t enjoyable because he didn’t care about that girl and she didn’t care about him. It would be different once he had a wife who he loved. It had to be, or else what in God’s name was everyone else talking about?

Cody’s twenties passed slowly and painfully. He made a lot of money; he made some enemies too. Scotland Yard finally took notice, and Fox was the first of his brothers to get arrested. Jango blamed Cody for this, and he was right.

London grew darker every day. Cody’s exhaustion ran through his veins, and it was contagious. Fox started getting sour about Cody always choosing their next job, they fought at the dinner table while Fives and Echo threw their food at Rex.

The grave Cody had dug for himself got so deep that he couldn’t see out to the grass anymore. This didn’t scare him until he realized, in horror, that he wasn’t alone. His brothers were all sitting there in the dirt with him, and he wasn’t sure if it was he or Jango who’d pulled them in.

Their mother told them she was pregnant again. Only Fox was brave enough to say that it was bullshit. There were too many of them already, what the fuck were they thinking.

Fox left for six months and no one knew where he’d gone. Cody couldn’t look for him because he had money to make and brothers to feed. Didn’t mean he wasn’t angry though, he was. At Fox, and his mother who he barely knew, at his father who didn’t even notice one of his sons was missing until Cody told him.

Their mother died giving birth to her eighth son. Jango named the boy Boba and actually started hanging around the house to take care of him.

Fox came back and Cody had to break the news that not only had he missed their mother’s funeral, but Jango had finally decided to be a father again, just not to them.

At thirty, Cody robbed a bank with an American whose eyes couldn’t focus. There were armed guards waiting for them when they came outside, and Waxer, the bald little baby that used to toddle around on chubby legs and flap his hands till Cody picked him up, died in the street and did not receive a funeral.

Cody went to prison in Wembley because he couldn’t stand to be anywhere else. Rex visited him the most, he kept Cody updated on just how bad things were without him.

In the end, Cody only served three years of his decade-long sentence. He was never given a reason why.

He started drinking. He let other men beat the hell out of him in boxing rings because they’d pay to do it. He didn’t speak to his family except for Rex who only tolerated him. He went to Saltcoats to steal a pair of diamonds because the money was good.

Cody’s life had gone the only way it could. He was his father’s son.

He’d never been anything but a thief and a liar, but his family never went hungry. He got Waxer killed, but he went to prison for it. His brothers didn’t want to talk to him anymore, but he’d never force them to. He was a disappointing son, but Jango was a disappointing father.

That was the only way to live with himself, excuses.

He made one more as he shuffled out of the dark room where Maul had left him, then drank until he couldn’t see. A final, desperate justification for all his monumental insignificance before he passed out in bed under a ceiling that spun.

He was a bad person, a true failure in the eyes of high society. He was a drunk, a convict, he slept with women that he didn’t care about, he stole from good honest people, he never had and never would amount to anything, he’d die a sinner.

And yet, he told himself, at least he wasn’t a homosexual.

◊◊

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

There was sweat under his collar and clinging to his joints like rust.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Cody tried to open his eyes, but the light went straight to his temple and shocked him back into darkness. He groaned.

“Are you gonna throw up?”

His mouth was dry and tasted like dirt.

“Okay, don’t move,” Rex said from somewhere far above. “I’m gonna get a bowl from the washroom just in case, I’m not taking any chances.”

Cody lifted a hand and covered his face; the sunlight was too much even with his eyes closed.

Rex returned after what might have been hours and poked his shoulder. “Hey, I got you some water too. You seem like you-uh, might need it.”

Water sounded like a good idea, but sitting up just didn’t seem worth it. “M’fine. Gonna sleep.”

“It’s noon,” Rex deadpanned. “They opened up the racetrack, we’re missing the opening ceremonies.”

“Oh,” Cody pressed his fingers into his eyes. “Fuck.”

Rex huffed and sat down on the bed. “Whatever, not like they’re taking attendance.”

Cody had to wait at least ten seconds before he had the ability to respond. “Why, ah…why aren’t you-? Shouldn’t you be…?”

“I was. I thought you’d left without me, but Kenobi said he hadn’t seen you since last night, so I ran all the way back here, scared out of my mind-”

“Oh, God,” Cody moaned.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Hearing Kenobi’s name was not something Cody was ready for just yet. He started to think he was going to need that bowl from Rex after all.

The bed shifted as Rex grew impatient. “You really should have some water.”

“You should go back.”

“Nice try.” Rex’s hands found their way around Cody’s arms and pulled. “Sit up and drink something before I start sounding like Fox.”

In the few seconds it took for Rex to pull him upright, Cody developed about thirty deadly diseases and a splitting headache. He was practically dead by the time a glass was shoved into his hand. “Shit, shit.”

“You have to tell me if you’re gonna throw up, I mean it, if you get sick on me, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m not gonna get sick, I’m just-” Cody tried to open his eyes again and the room was pure white. “I don’t know.”

Rex sat with his hands folded while Cody suffered through a few cautious sips of water. “So, you had a good time at the party or something?”

Cody set the glass back down and started shrugging out of his coat, he was overheating like a Goddamn furnace. “No.”

“Oh, okay.” Rex didn’t ask any more questions, just chewed his lip and helped Cody strip down to his undershirt as slowly as he needed.

The silence was a little easier, Cody hauled his legs over the side of the bed and sat with his head in his hands. He’d gotten pretty good at drinking; wasn’t often he woke up with hangovers anymore, he didn’t miss it.

Rex fidgeted next to him. “I found some interesting things in the attic; do you want to hear about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Cody peered between his fingers at the floor. He’d only gotten one of his shoes off before falling asleep.

“If you’re, uh,” Rex’s voice grew soft. “I know you’re angry at me, and if this is-I mean, I’m sorry that I yelled at you. I don’t know why I did that.”

“No, God.” Cody winced as he lifted his head again and reached over to pat Rex’s knee. “I’m not angry, come on, don’t worry about that.”

Rex just nodded and stared at his hands.

“I’m not. I’m just an idiot, lost track of things for a minute there.” He hated that Rex had to see him like this. “I think I just need a break.”

“From me?”

“No, Rex, what’d I say? I’m not angry.” He reached for the water again, he was in no state of mind to be having a conversation like this one. “I need a break from the people, from the diamonds, all of that.”

Rex didn’t look up. “For how long?”

Cody pressed the cool of his glass to his temple and squinted over at Rex with one eye closed. He’d been expecting another argument. “Um, I don’t know. A week? Maybe? I mean we’ve still got almost two months here, and-”

“Yeah,” Rex mumbled. “Week’s fine, we can just take it easy.”

Cody nodded once, that was all he could manage. “Thanks.”

Rex still looked nervous. “Are you feeling any better?”

“No,” Cody smiled. “No I really feel like horseshit.”

“Kinda look like it too.”

Cody’s laugh turned into a groan as his head began to throb from the movement.

Rex’s smile fell away immediately, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.” His eyes were wide as saucers as he reached over to rub slow circles into the space between Cody’s shoulder blades. “You’ll be alright, keep drinking your water.”

◊◊

After getting washed up and scrubbing a layer of dignity off his face, Cody spent most of the day lounged in an armchair by the open window. He didn’t know where the idea to take a week off had come from, but for the time being it was keeping him sane, so he didn’t challenge it any further.

Rex never went back to see the start of the derby, he ran downstairs and came back with honeyed bread and nuts for Cody to pick at. The rest of the time he sat on the floor and read _Fatal Revenge_ to himself until the sun was nestled safely in the tops of the trees.

Cody still felt like he’d been run over by a train, but his hunger was getting hard to ignore and he agreed to some soup. Rex had it brought up to the room and they ate by the window while the sky turned pink.

“You were saying something about the attic, yeah?”

Rex glanced up from his bowl in surprise, it was the first attempt at conversation Cody had made all day.

“Think you found something?”

“Not, uh, not anything big.” Rex eyed him. “Do you want to hear about it, or…?”

Cody shrugged, hoping to ease a bit of the tension. “Sure, hit me.”

Rex smiled down at his food and started pushing the carrots around as he spoke. “Well, first off, it was really big, tons of stuff up there, I’ll definitely have to go back.”

“Valuable stuff?”

“Course, silk dresses, gold jewelry, paintings, you name it.”

Cody smirked. “But?”

“But there was this dresser.” Rex held his hand up. “Seven feet tall, three feet deep, two locks, you know, serious business.”

“So you get it open-”

“And I can just tell there’s something in there. Something else.” Rex leaned forward, his smile growing. “There were some dresses and things, but the back felt funny when I knocked on it, uneven in some spots and – anyway, sure enough,” he snapped his fingers. “Hidden compartment, wasn’t easy to open either.”

“Let me guess, a pair of diamonds.”

Rex snorted. “Yeah, I wish. But no, it was a stack of letters.”

“Letters?” Cody raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“Just _listen_ ,” Rex snapped. “I was disappointed too, but once I started reading them?” His eyes went wide. “So strange, I think they were in code or something.”

“You sure?”

“I think so, I mean, individual sentences were normal, but all together they didn’t make any sense. Fox writes to me in code sometimes when he’s talking about his business, so I know sort of what it looks like. But,” Rex leaned even further over the table and pointed his spoon at Cody’s head. “That’s not even the strange part!”

Cody tried not to laugh, but watching Rex get worked up was quality entertainment. “Alright, what was the strange part?”

“The postage,” Rex blurted out. “The paper, the seals. I didn’t notice right away, but once I started looking closely, you know, brought ‘em over to the candle and – okay, now I could be wrong, but I’ve seen a lot of forgeries in my life, and I think I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when something is fake.”

“Oh my God,” Cody laughed. “Just tell me what you found; I trust you.”

Rex was quiet for a second, he sat back into his chair and studied Cody from afar. When he spoke, his voice was much quieter, his eyes unblinking. “I think they were sent by someone in the Court.”

Cody frowned. “Why would that be-?”

“Cody, I’m not talking about some Earl with a nice house, I mean someone serious,” Rex stressed. “Someone in the Palace.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

“Any of the letters have a date?”

Rex nodded. “All of them, they weren’t old either, ’49, ’50. End of Amidala’s reign.”

“Alright,” Cody sighed. “It is strange, but we know that Ken-uh – the Earl was close with the Queen. It’s not a stretch to think Organa was too.”

“I know, I know,” Rex admitted. “But coded letters hidden in an attic? Possibly from Amidala herself? You have to admit, there’s a story behind that one.”

“Okay,” Cody raised his hands in surrender. “I hear you, that’s quite the find.”

“You’re not-?” Rex stuttered. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

“I’m interested! I-what? What do you want from me?”

“God.” Rex’s shoulders drooped and he rolled his eyes. “You’re so boring.”

Cody laughed as he reached up to swing the window closed. “Sorry kid, it’s called getting old.”

◊◊

When Cody woke the following day, there was no headache or weak stomach to keep the real infection from spreading. It was there before he’d even sat up.

 _I told him about Waxer_ , he thought. _I let him touch me._

He dragged himself out of bed and washed his face for ten minutes. He was taking a break, there was nothing to worry about yet.

_I asked him to touch me._

Cody rushed them out the door once he was sure there was no one else waiting for a carriage. He stared out the window the entire ride and didn’t complain like he normally would about Rex not shutting up. He actually preferred the chatter.

It was immediately apparent that the narrow streets of Saltcoats had not been built with hordes of tourists in mind. The madness was already spilling out into the countryside. Cody charged in headfirst.

He stole three coin purses as they pushed through the crowd, not because they needed money to fit in, but because if he didn’t feed Rex’s excitement there’d be nothing else to distract him. He wanted his brother to buy every stupid souvenir and questionable concession item he set his eyes on, they had to keep moving.

The horses were set loose with the crack of a gunshot and Rex cheered even though they hadn’t placed any bets. Cody smiled along, but he startled every time a child shouted, froze in place when he spotted a pair of montrals in the distance, felt his stomach drop if someone in the crowd happened to have golden hair, it was inescapable, even at a sprint.

 _You let Quinlan touch you too_ , a voice reminded. _In front of everyone._

Cody breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, he bought Rex a pint and tossed back a shot of scotch.

The sun started to get low and he suggested that they eat in the pub.

“You sure?” Rex asked, glancing back in the direction of the house. “I don’t mind if we have dinner with Kenobi, we haven’t seen him all day.”

Cody spun his glass on the table and didn’t look up. “I’m sure.”

He couldn’t taste the food he was eating, and he kept one eye on the door the entire time. His saving grace was Rex’s ignorance, he could only hope it’d last forever.

It was dark when they got back to the house and Cody took the stairs two at a time.

 _Do they still feel that way about each other?_ Something wondered, something Cody wanted to kill with his bare hands. _What if they’re in bed right now? What if they’re fucking in the same house you sleep in?_

Once he was alone again, the first thing he did was grab the two books on his nightstand and toss them under his bed where he couldn’t see them anymore.

_He put his hand on your hip in the library. He put his arms around your waist in the ballroom. He kissed your face. He kissed you. He kissed you._

Cody recited each of his brother’s birthdays over and over until he fell asleep.

◊◊

To make the event worth the price of travel, the festivities had been spread out over the course of a week and a half. There were qualifying races, amateur events, parties thrown by other families in the area, a non-stop list of reasons to drink and spend money, just what Cody needed.

He dodged when he needed to, stayed away from expensive seats at the races, only returned to the house once it was dark. He’d been wanted by the police before; he knew how to disappear.

Three whole days passed before Rex finally took notice.

“Have you talked to Kenobi at all?”

Cody kept his eyes on the mirror where he was fixing his hair. “No, why would I?”

“Well, I-I don’t know, I guess I just-” Rex stuttered. “I know you want to take some time off but-”

“Yeah, and I am.”

Rex bobbed his head. “Okay.”

Cody smiled brightly and wrapped his tie twice around his neck.

“I was just wondering, though-”

“What?”

Rex puffed his cheeks out and stared at the ceiling. “Well you were just…spending a lot of time with him before.”

Cody made the first knot in his tie and didn’t comment.

“And now, uh-now you’re sort of – which is fine, of course, but if I were him I’d-” Rex sighed heavily and scuffed the toes of his boots on the ground. “Maybe I’d just be wondering what you were up to, I don’t know.”

“He’s fine.” Cody turned and beckoned Rex over. “Your tie is crooked.”

Rex shuffled over and studied Cody’s face with the beginning of a frown as his collar was tugged back in place.

“That’s better.” Cody nodded in approval. “Ready to go?”

Rex took a while to reply. “All set,” he said finally. “Lead the way.”

Rex was quieter than usual, and while Cody wasn’t blind to his developing unease, he simply couldn’t be bothered. His energy was being spent on avoiding any and all familiar faces while staying a step ahead of his own thoughts long enough to keep from splitting in half.

“Oh, look,” Rex turned back as he jumped down the flight of stairs leading to the main hall. “Maybe we can catch a ride to town together.”

“Who-?”

Rex waved a hand. “Come on, everyone’s here.”

“Hi Rex!” Luke shrieked.

Cody reached for the railing. He was too far up to see the full entranceway and his view was limited to the foot of the stairs where Rex greeted an overexcited Luke with a pat on the head.

“We’re gonna go to the beach,” Luke began with a jump. “We went yesterday too but I ran away and got in trouble so we had to leave. I’m gonna stay close this time or Ahsoka’s gonna make me go to bed early.”

“Er, alright,” Rex concluded. “Sounds like a good plan.”

Leia appeared and immediately grabbed Rex’s hand. “Good morning, Captain.”

“Leia!” Luke tugged her sleeve. “Show Rex your dress! Show him how it looks like when you spin!”

Leia stepped back and spun just long enough for her tiny skirt to puff out around her and then finished with a curtsey.

“Wow!” Luke cheered. “That’s so cool, right? Rex isn’t that so cool?”

“It was, thanks for showing me.” Already overwhelmed, Rex threw a helpless look back at Cody as each of his hands was grabbed by a different child.

Cody hadn’t moved an inch; his palms were already beading with sweat.

Rex stared up at him in confusion as the twins began leading him away. “Cody? Aren’t you coming down?”

“I’ll-I’ll just-” he cleared his throat. “I’ll be down, I have to-I think-”

As soon as Rex disappeared, a different set of polished boots came clicking across the waxed floor. “Commander? Is that you?”

His accent alone was enough to whittle Cody’s very soul down to nothing but nerves. To look at him undid four days’ worth of tireless mental suppression.

Lord Kenobi was dressed lightly, most likely in preparation for the trip to the beach. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs with his hand on the railing and turned his gaze upwards to where Cody was stranded. His smile was hesitant, hopeful, almost. “Good morning.”

 _He’s a homosexual_ , Cody thought. _He’s trying to deceive you, he wants to make you a pervert just like he is._

Kenobi’s smile flickered when no reply came. “It’s nice to finally see you again, I seem to have lost track of you since the party.”

“I’m sorry,” Cody said, with his throat closing up. “I think I-I might have left something in my room.” He back peddled and his heel caught on the step, forcing him to stumble up a few stairs. “Sorry, I’ve just got to-sorry.”

“That’s alright.” Kenobi went up a step. “We can wait for you.”

“No,” Cody shook his head vehemently. “No, no, you go on ahead, don’t wait for me.” He was moving backward at a steady pace now. “Tell Rex I’ll meet him in town later, I’ll be a while, don’t wait for me.”

Cody turned around and took the stairs two at a time before anything else could be said. His lungs were failing him and the heat in his face was interfering with his vision.

He thought he’d gotten himself under control, he thought he’d be able to recover after a time, he was wrong, everything was loud and clear now. Maul was a bastard, but he knew what he was talking about.

Kenobi wasn’t dancing with Cody because he wanted to have fun, he was just a degenerate who wanted to get his hands on other men. The books, the walks in the garden, the awful fucking kiss on the cheek, none of it had been genuine. He’d seen that Cody wasn’t accustomed to having friends and he’d used it to get under his skin.

Cody crashed back into his room and covered his ears in an attempt to dull his senses. Everything was too sudden and too loud and too awful to even say out loud.

Didn’t he have enough to deal with? Hadn’t it been enough to be risking his life again? Why did he need some freak trying to turn him into something he wasn’t? Why had it been working?

He went to the window and stuck his head out into the breeze.

It was the same sunny day that he’d lived through for almost two weeks now. There were people in white tending to the bushes below and a flock of birds overhead. He breathed in the warm air and closed his eyes.

He was overreacting, there were plenty of things wrong with him, but it wasn’t that. He’d only noticed Kenobi’s looks because Quinlan pointed them out, it didn’t mean anything.

Cody ducked back out of the window and sank, exhausted, into a waiting armchair.

He was safe, he was normal, he liked women, he liked kissing them and he liked going to bed with them. There was no question that if he had lived a different life he’d have been married at his age, he’d have children.

Kenobi’s problems were his alone. Cody was nothing like him.

He’d prove it.

◊◊

There was an inn he’d been avoiding. It had a bar on the first floor and it was loud, not the type of place you took your younger brother.

Cody paced up and down the street five times just to steal a few looks inside. Then he wiped his hands on his trousers to get the sweat off his palms before coming to a halt a few feet away from the gaping entrance.

He didn’t have his younger brother with him now, and that was a good thing. He was here for himself.

The inn was miles and lifetimes from anywhere he’d set foot in before, but it was a setting he knew all too well. Every pub was the same place when Cody was looking to do something he shouldn’t.

There was always alcohol and sticky floors. Crowded tables and candles that dripped down the wall. Heat and shouted conversations over the clink of glasses coming together for toasts. Men of every age and dress and stage of sobriety. Men with stiff backs who tried to out-drink each other. Men who started fights over nothing at all and swore on their mother’s grave.

And women. There were always women.

Cody went straight to the bar and ordered something strong. He didn’t want to be drunk, just loose, not stuck in his own head.

He’d spent the entire day thinking it over, and this was intended to be a reward of sorts. He’d avoided the trap Kenobi had set for him and now he’d have a night to himself. He’d be allowed to do what any unmarried and morally bankrupt man would do with a Friday night and a tailored suit.

The room bulged out around him and he started searching.

It was probably going to be the easiest he’d ever had it. He was groomed, he was well-dressed, he didn’t have a reputation to drag through the mud, wasn’t that what women wanted?

He walked up to a girl in a green dress and read right off the script. “Good evening, madame. I’ve got to ask, are you from around here?”

She laughed with her mouth wide open and ran a hand down his sleeve. “I am, but why are you askin?”

“Well,” he smiled and leaned an arm on the bar. “I’m just surprised, I didn’t know the girls from Saltcoats were so pretty.”

She covered her mouth and turned to her friend who was laughing with her. She reached for Cody’s face and pouted her lip. “Sorry hun, you’re pretty too, but that’s my man over there.” She nodded to a group of men hunched over a game of cards. “Can’t be talkin’ to me like that, he doesn’t like it.”

Cody put his hands up and backed up a step, grinning easily despite how very far away he wanted to be all of a sudden. “Appreciate the warning, it was nice to meet you anyway.”

“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “Course it was.”

He never got it on the first try anyway.

The next girl he talked to was sweet, but probably too young for him. Didn’t feel right so he told her he was only talking to her on account of the Twi’lek across the room and sent her on her way.

The woman against the back wall seemed like a better match. She had blush on her cheeks and her dress was cut so low it was practically falling off.

“I’m just surprised,” Cody told her. “I didn’t know the girls from Saltcoats were so pretty.”

“Aw, sweetheart,” she crooned. “How many girls have you tried that on tonight?”

“Just the one.”

“Mm, well you’re gonna have to try a little harder.” She stepped closer, and her fingers circled the top button of Cody’s vest. “I’m not that easy.”

“Neither am I.” Cody caught her hand before it slipped into his pocket. “Good try, though.”

Her cheeks darkened. “I wasn’t – Sir, you know I wasn’t tryin’ anything.”

“Never said you were.” Cody kept his tone soft; he didn’t care if she was trying to steal his wallet. It wouldn’t work, and she was still talking to him. “But if you want some advice for later on; go in with your palm facing the leg. Because if they can feel your knuckles when you reach into their pocket?” He handed her the coin purse he’d unclipped from her waist. “It’s all over.”

She stared down at her open palm for a moment and then laughed sharply. “Now how’d you do that?”

He shrugged.

“You’ve got good hands.” They always said that.

“I do.” That’s what he always replied.

She smirked up at him through her eyelashes. “What else they good for?”

They always asked that. Every time.

Within fifteen minutes he was following her up a narrow staircase with a tightness in his chest that he couldn’t chase. He was hoping it’d fade when she turned around at the top step and leaned down to kiss him, but it didn’t.

She kept her mouth on his as she walked backward toward the door he’d paid for and kicked it open with her heel. She tasted faintly of gin, but he could have been imagining it, he was already wishing he’d had more to drink.

“I forgot to ask,” she huffed, falling back onto the bed. “What should I call you?”

“Quinlan.” Cody winced as he turned around to lock the door. It was the first name he could think of, and possibly the worst.

She smiled and swung her feet back and forth. “Well help me with my boots, Quinlan. And you can call me Sima.”

“Sima,” he repeated. “I like that.” It was probably a fake name too. He shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the bedpost before dropping to his knees and getting to work on her laces.

Sima was nice and loosened the ties on her dress while he was busy. She giggled when he got her boots loose and kicked him playfully in the cheek. He only pretended to think that was funny.

She wasn’t wearing much under her skirt which was a blessing. Cody wanted to keep things moving and a barricade of cotton drawers would have dulled his spirits. He kissed up her calf and then reached his fingers up to the start of her stockings which made her hum and fall back to stare at the ceiling.

Before he could even think about getting her skirt off, though, he had to stop and tug at the laces to his shoes, then get his vest off, pull his shirt up out of his trousers. It was always like this, time and money, all this work, and for what?

The weight in his chest shifted again and he jolted himself towards the bed. For enjoyment. For pleasure. For himself, he was doing this for himself.

He kissed her for a while just to waste some time before he went after the clasps holding her waist together. She swung her leg over and sat in his lap while his fingers fidgeted in vain. It was distracting to have her hands in his hair and her bosom in his face.

She rolled her hips. “Does that feel good? You gettin’ real hard for me? You want it?”

Cody didn’t know what he wanted, but it certainly wasn’t to have a conversation. He pulled her bodice open and bit into the soft skin that spilled out.

Her hands pressed his face in deeper and he prayed to every God he could think of that he’d be able to keep it up long enough to keep this from being a disaster.

After more kissing and more well-rehearsed bullshit about his hands, he got her skirt on the floor and lay her back onto the lumpy pillows. Her hair was dark and spread out in every direction. Some of it got in his mouth as he hefted himself up next to her and trailed his fingers down between her legs.

He’d been doing this for fifteen years, he knew how it worked. He’d get her off, whoever she was, and that would give him time to prepare for his half of the job. It was always like this.

She started talking again, and lifting her hips up off the bedding. Cody propped himself up on an elbow and started pushing his trousers down.

“Let me help you,” Sima shoved her hand into the mix. “I want to feel how big you are.”

Her nails were sharp, and Cody wondered, if Lord Kenobi really did have relations with women and men, was this his preference?

It wasn’t something anyone could answer, and he shouldn’t have been thinking about Kenobi to begin with. He got his trousers down and climbed between her thighs. Her arms looped around his neck and she groaned in his ear. After that it was easy, it was always the same.

She wanted to get on top at some point and he didn’t have any problem with that. He lay there on his back and caught his breath while she made too much noise. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he held onto the dips in her waist. She asked him if he liked the view. He did, he answered, she felt good, he told her.

Eventually, at last, she threw her head back and tightened around him while saying a lot of things she probably didn’t mean.

Cody wasn’t going to finish; he could tell already. There was no reason to panic though, she was closing her eyes and sighing deeply, definitely not paying attention. All he had to do was pretend to touch himself and make it sound good.

“Come on my stomach,” she said.

He muttered something about not wanting to make a mess, that was good enough.

The room was darker than Cody would have liked. He started to see patterns in the shadows from staring too long. Sima came and curled up next to him, she didn’t smell bad, so it wasn’t too much of a bother.

She dragged her nails across his chest. “You weren’t lying, you do have good hands.”

Cody smiled to absolutely no one. They always said that.

◊◊

“You sure you can’t stay?”

“Wish I could, but I’ve got my brother back at the house.” No matter how old he got, Rex would always be Cody’s excuse to leave. “He’s just a kid, you know, I gotta be there in the morning.”

Sima huffed and pulled the sheets up around her bare chest. “Too bad, think I coulda gone another round.”

Cody laughed, just not for the reasons she thought. “Me too.”

“Will you be in town for the rest of the derby?”

He threw his vest on over his wrinkled shirt and didn’t bother with the buttons. “Longer than that, might even be around in August.” He didn’t know why he told her; he didn’t want to see her again.

“Oh good! And-hey,” she stood up as he went to grab his coat and tugged him down into a kiss that lasted longer than it should have. “You know where to find me, Mr. Quinlan.”

Cody kissed her again rather than acknowledge anything she was proposing.

He could feel her on him as he stepped out into the lamp-lit street, he needed a wash.

If he were back home, he would have found the nearest club and started a fight just to bleed. Anything to knock loose the sickening pressure in his chest.

He wasn’t back home though, so he found a cab and let the bumpy road knock his head against the window.

It was a long walk from the stone entranceway to the front doors of Alderaan. Cody took his coat off and rolled his sleeves up to the elbows. His vest was still hanging open too, he wasn’t even trying to hide his guilt.

He knocked twice on the door and turned around to gaze up at the night sky while he waited. The moon would be full in a few days, it had been nothing but a sliver when he arrived.

“Oh! Commander Fett, good evening.”

Cody spun back around, already regretful about his disheveled appearance. “Mary, good evening to you. Thank you for letting me in.”

“Of course, Sir. We’ve been expecting you, we weren’t sure if you were spending the night in town or not.”

He felt her staring as he stepped into the light, and when he glanced down there was a smudge of pink lipstick on his shirt, just below the fold of his collar. The silence was loud.

“I guess I’ll just ah,” he lost the ability to look her in the eyes. “Think I’ll head to bed then, thank you again.”

“Um, actually-”

He froze and waited as she finished locking the doors. If she asked him about Rex, he was certain he’d break a window.

“I’ve been asked, well, if you’re not too tired that is,” Mary bounced over and hid her hands behind her back.

“Yes?”

“Lord Kenobi was wondering if you were available.”

Cody stared at her, waiting for more. “Right now?”

“He said whenever you came back.” She rocked back nervously on her heels. “He’s in the library, he told me that you know where it is, but if you need help finding your way I’d be able to-”

“Do I…” Cody looked down at what was left of his suit, and then back to her. “Do I have an option?”

“Of course-”

“Mary.” He tossed his coat over his shoulder and stuck her with the look that had tamed an army of younger brothers. “Do I have an option here?”

She swallowed thickly. “I mean, if I were you-”

“Right, and there we are,” he nodded and began his ascension up the carpeted stairs without further complaint. This was dreadful, but completely expected. Of course this was happening now. Of course it was. He was almost excited. “Rex doesn’t know you like him.” He added, because suddenly he was feeling generous. “You have to be more obvious, sorry, he’s thick as tar.”

“Goodnight, Commander.” Mary squeaked out. “Um, and alright. Thank you.”

He saluted. “Don’t mention it.”

He had nothing prepared, he’d made absolutely no effort to rehearse an explanation for his disappearance, and he wasn’t starting now. Whatever was about to happen would happen, and he’d deal with it when he felt human again.

Sima’s hands were still smothering every inch of him and he loosened another button on his shirt just to let his skin breathe. That mess had been Kenobi’s fault too, at least Cody had someone to blame.

There were carved roses on the door, same as always. Being a coward had gotten tiresome, he reached for the knob without hesitation.

Every candle in the library was burning. The smell and the color of the million tiny shadows all dancing across the ceiling together were disorienting, especially on top of Cody’s manic energy. He stood in the doorway with his coat hanging over his shoulder until someone stood up, and refocused the entire room.

“Commander.”

Cody was growing to despise that damn title.

“Thank you for stopping by.” Kenobi wasn’t wearing a coat either, but his vest was closed tight, and his shirt was starched and pressed clean. If it weren’t for the few strands of hair falling loose along the side of his face, he’d have been perfect.

Cody took one step in; he closed the door halfway. “You wanted to speak with me.”

“I did.” Kenobi gestured to the circle of reading chairs and coffee tables. “Would you like to sit down?”

“No,” Cody answered plainly. “I’m hoping to get to bed soon.”

Kenobi smiled thinly as he picked Cody apart. He glanced over the badly reconstructed suit, the makeup under the collar, Cody’s hair, the open shirt. He came to his conclusion quickly and nodded, just barely. “My apologies, this is late for me too. Did you just get back?”

“About ten minutes ago.”

“Mm,” Kenobi crossed his arms, not defensively, he was very subtle. “Enjoy yourself?”

“I did.”

Kenobi knew he was lying, the minute shift in his smile from masked annoyance to smug amusement was all the confirmation Cody needed. “How nice. I’ll try to make this quick.”

Cody shot back a biting smile of his own. “I appreciate it.”

“Why are you avoiding me?” Kenobi asked, as though they were talking about the weather.

Cody frowned. “Didn’t know I was.”

“Oh, sorry,” Kenobi raised a finger. “The question wasn’t ‘are you avoiding me?’ That’s already been answered.”

“By who?”

“By me, by your brother.”

That one stung. Rex was supposed to be on his side, that rotten little bastard.

“So back to it,” Kenobi continued, his privilege shining through like never before. “I was asking why, because if it’s something I’ve done,” he furrowed his brow in faux concern. “I’d very much like the chance to apologize.”

Kenobi was good with his saber. He had it all down, the stiff posture, the tiny flinching footsteps that kept everyone on edge, the expressionless mask of complacency, he was a sight to behold, a master of control, a virtuoso of fatal accuracy.

But Cody didn’t fence. “You should, because you’ve got me wrong. I’m not like you and your ah-” he waved a hand. “Your whatever. I’m a real man, sorry to have to break it to you.”

Kenobi’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Cody tapped his chest. “A real man, take a good look.”

“That’s what we’re calling it now?”

It was close, but Cody wanted him to commit, if they were going down it would be swinging. “It is. It means I know where to stick my cock. You should ask me sometime, you might learn something.”

“I’m sorry,” Kenobi dropped his arms and pointed both hands in Cody’s direction before his voice went shrill. “I’m sorry but wasn’t it _you_ who came after me?”

And they were off.

Cody tossed his coat to the floor. “Yeah, sure, maybe to be your fucking friend, not-” he snorted. “Not your Goddamn-”

“My what?” Kenobi snapped. “Come on, can you even say it? Are you scared?”

“Sure, I’ll call you a pervert, I’m not scared.”

“No,” Kenobi shook his head and barked out a laugh. “No, I’m not going to stand here and be called names by some middle-aged bachelor in denial, you’ve got to be joking.”

“See there it is though!” Cody pointed, almost in excitement. “We wouldn’t be having this problem if you knew how to leave me out of it. Why is it so hard to believe that some of us know how to behave ourselves?”

“How could I possibly leave you out of it? You wouldn’t go away!”

Cody would have given anything to tell him the truth. Kenobi deserved to hear that he was nothing special, just another source of income with an ego. “Fine, I’ll give you that, I should have chosen better company.”

“God, this is hilarious,” Kenobi raked a hand through his hair. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” Cody growled. “But I could ask you the same thing.”

“Sorry, but only one of us is dressed like he just crawled out of a brothel. Was it worth it? Are you happy you spent your evening with her and not your brother?”

“Don’t talk about my brother, don’t you-”

“Did she make you feel like a man, Commander?” Kenobi had stepped around the ring of chairs and was getting closer. The sunburn on his cheeks and up the bridge of his nose was getting clearer. “When you were hammering away in her flea-infested bed, were you teaching me a lesson? Should I have been there to watch and take notes? Would that have improved the experience?”

“I wasn’t with a whore,” Cody snarled. “But even if I were, it’d still make me a better man than you any day.”

“Oh,” Kenobi rolled his eyes. “’ _A better man.’ ‘A real man.’_ Shall I put you on a pedestal and worship you? Would you like that? Would that get you off?”

“Enough,” Cody warned, holding his ground in front of the door as Kenobi drew near. “I am not like that, I’m not one of you.”

Kenobi pretended to nod along for a second, and then broke out into uneven laughter. “Can you believe I actually had myself convinced you’d be different? Just because of a few walks round the garden, fuck. Just look at you now,” he scoffed, apparently at his own stupidity. “You’re practically fighting for your life.”

“But why would you think that about me to begin with?” Cody’s voice nearly broke. He honestly wanted to know. “Why did you have to make it my problem?”

Kenobi stepped up to the landing where the door was, holding a hand up in request for Cody’s silence. “Let me explain something to you, as simply as I can, because it appears you have a very thick skull.”

Cody tipped his chin up, he had just remembered that Kenobi was taller than him.

“Within twenty-four hours of meeting me, you were asking me to dance with you in this very room,” he turned around and pointed. “Right about there. And believe it or not Commander,” he smiled bitterly. “I did think you were charming, I did think you were handsome, in fact, I wouldn’t have minded if you’d swept me up in your arms and kissed me.”

Cody had assumed – in his worst-case scenario – that Kenobi felt that way. But hearing it from the man himself was something else entirely.

“But here’s the important part,” Kenobi loomed closer, his eyes wild. “I didn’t say anything to imply the way I felt, I didn’t touch you unless you asked me to, and I let you leave without argument. Now, with the exception of that night when you helped me back to my room,” he poked a finger into Cody’s face. “An incident that I was fully prepared to apologize for until you asked me not to, I have stuck to those guidelines, I have not ‘ _made it your problem_ ’ as you so kindly put it. Not once.”

“You kissed my cheek.”

“You liked it!”

“Fuck you,” Cody sneered.

“You missed your chance.”

Cody put a hand on either side of Kenobi’s face and kissed him.

The door was hard and unforgiving as Kenobi walked Cody backward by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into it. The impact was heavy and Cody nearly had the air punched out of him, his mouth fell open in a gasp that Kenobi swallowed up and replaced with his tongue.

If it wasn’t violent it wouldn’t have been bearable. Kenobi kissed him like he hated him, and Cody gave in to being bitten to pieces and crowded into the door so tight he couldn’t move. He reached back and knotted his fingers into Kenobi’s hair as his bottom lip split and flavored everything like copper.

Before they could even find a rhythm, his jaw was nudged upward, and he was bitten so hard on the side of his neck that he cried out and arched his back against the door. Kenobi hummed against his skin and licked twice over the sore spot before getting to work sucking it into a darker bruise.

Cody could smell the beach where Kenobi had spent his day, salt and sweat. A sick part of him wondered if that meant Kenobi was smelling Sima, if he was licking her off his skin.

“That’ll leave a mark,” Kenobi whispered in a voice so torn and ragged that Cody almost wept. “Serves you right.”

Cody wasn’t ready to talk, he hardly knew what was going on. He pulled Kenobi’s face back up and kissed him for as long as he could handle. Kenobi’s beard was rough against his face, the bruise on his neck throbbed, their teeth kept clicking together and Kenobi let out a little whine in the back of his throat that was dirtier than any sound Cody had ever heard in his life.

He stuttered his hips forward without meaning to and the friction made him curse against Kenobi’s lips.

“Oh.” Kenobi pulled back just enough to get his words out. “Do you want me to-?”

“Yes,” Cody kissed the sides of his mouth in desperation. “Yes, please, please.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, God,” Cody moaned, he’d come right there in his trousers if Kenobi asked. “Yes.”

Kenobi didn’t move his hands, but he slid a thigh up between Cody’s legs and that was good enough.

“Fuck,” Cody closed his eyes and knocked their foreheads together, too overwhelmed to bother kissing him again.

“What do you want?” Kenobi asked, pressing up even harder.

“Oh, fuck,” Cody tightened his hands into the expensive fabric of Kenobi’s shirt. “Oh my God.”

Kenobi’s mouth was wet and hot against his jawline. “Come on, tell me.”

Cody rolled his hips and nearly lost feeling in his fingertips. The tightness was already too much, but then the heat, and knowing who’s heat it was.

The final straw was the brush of rough hands tugging his shirt up and spreading flat against the bare skin of his waist. They were warm and firm and sent a chill all the way up his spine that filled his head with cotton. “Okay, please, please, just-” Nails dragged along his lower back just as teeth sunk deep into his neck and hit a nerve. The sensation forced his hips forward and heat pooled in his groin. “Please, I’m close, fuck, please,” Cody begged. “I need-anything, I don’t care.”

Kenobi’s hand dropped down and cupped Cody over his trousers. “Tell me you want me.”

Cody rocked forward against the heel of Kenobi’s palm but it wasn’t enough. He turned his head and tried to throw his frustration into a kiss.

Kenobi jerked his head back, denying him everything. “Commander.” He warned.

Cody stared at him and his messy hair and his sunburned face and his blue eyes, and he hated him. He hated Lord Kenobi more than he hated himself, it was that bad. “I want you.”

Kenobi rewarded him with a bite and tore the front of his trousers open with one hand, all while sucking another bruise into the skin below his collar bone. At any other time it might have been unsettling how well-practiced the maneuver was, but in Cody’s current state, it just made his knees weak.

Kenobi sighed as he spit into his hand. “I haven’t done this in a while, don’t be a critic.”

Cody wanted him so bad it was disgusting, it was unforgivable.

Kenobi’s fingers were slick and warm with his own saliva as they tightened around the base of Cody’s cock. His callouses caught on the veins and he only stopped twice to flick his thumb over the head. Other than that, he didn’t tease. He pressed close and rested his face on Cody’s chest where he could watch through half-lidded eyes.

Cody couldn’t last, it was barely a minute before his face was heating to a melting point, and his heartbeat was starting to get unpredictable. “I think I’m close-”, he stuttered. “My Lord, my-er, fuck, my lord.”

Kenobi lifted his head and smiled against the hammering pulse in Cody’s neck. “Obi-Wan,” he corrected. “My name is Obi-Wan.”

Cody’s eyes slid shut as the world began to come undone.

“Say it.”

“Obi-Wan,” he sobbed. “Ah-God, Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan-” He lost control and words failed him, but the name was on his lips as he shuddered, and came with his face buried in the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck. He understood, it made sense now, it did feel good.

He couldn’t open his eyes for the next minute, and if he’d been allowed to, he would have slid down to the ground and fallen asleep right there on the floor.

When the fog cleared, and he finally tried to relearn his surroundings, there was an arm wrapped around him, and Obi-Wan was shaking. “Are you okay?”

“Commander,” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded odd. “If you could just,” he tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck. “Please-”

Cody’s thoughts were still jumbled, and he didn’t know what was going on until he looked straight down and saw that Obi-Wan had his trousers open and his flushed cock in his hand, right up against Cody’s leg. His stomach flipped and he glanced away immediately. “Oh, shit,” was all he could say.

“Commander-”

Cody didn’t want to watch Obi-Wan touch himself, that wasn’t what this was about. He closed his eyes and panicked, dropping his head down to kiss under Obi-Wan’s jaw even though there was a beard, which didn’t feel right.

Obi-Wan whimpered as Cody’s lips moved down his neck, but his orgasm was quiet. His breath got choppy, and he leaned into Cody for support while he rode it out. His hair still smelled like the sea; Cody still had makeup smudged on his shirt.

After a time, Obi-Wan rolled off Cody’s chest and slumped against the door, his face still red as a beet and his trousers hanging open. He pulled his tie off and threw it to the ground.

Cody stared out at the library and tried to remember even one fact about himself.

“Well, Commander.” Obi-Wan shuffled closer until their shoulders were touching. “I don’t think we were supposed to do that.”

“Er, no.” Cody reached up and dabbed at the cut on his lip. “And you can call me Cody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh woah woah hold on what the hell wasn't this a slow burn?? 
> 
> [also shoutout to this anon who read my mind about the intro](https://cafffine.tumblr.com/post/644678201931710464/i-see-in-saltcoats-some-of-the-boys-have-their)
> 
> I really struggled with this chapter but reading all the sweet comments you guys left really helped!! I can't thank you all enough!! 🥺💓 💓
> 
> (this is not a sima hate account, shes a queen and did not know cody was a mess)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Saltcoats, Scotland - (Non-explicit version)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212677) by [cafffine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafffine/pseuds/cafffine)




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